Restoring Bonds
by Buffybot
Summary: Sequel to "Fractured Bonds". After the events that transpired on the Drifter, Tahiri struggles to come to terms with the person she is now. Meanwhile, the Yuuzhan Vong's latest plan to throw the galaxy into further chaos is uncovered just as the Galactic Alliance finally feels like it has a chance of winning the war.
1. Chapter 1

_3 days after the escape from the _Drifter_..._

Chapter One

Jacen closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of air, attempting to steady his breathing and heart rate so he could reach a meditative state. That level of tranquility was something that had eluded him since coming to Bast Castle.

He had wanted to use meditation to bring into sharper focus his memories of the last several weeks; since his release from carbonite really. The more he concentrated on those memories the more it made him sick to his stomach as he relived all that he had done while under Nom Anor's control. Using mind control on Danni to gain access to an experimental drug; then using her to dupe Anakin into agreeing to test it; letting the Yuuzhan Vong know of Hapes allegiance with the Galactic Alliance; manipulating Tahiri into using her healing powers because Nom Anor wanted to see what she was capable of; then kidnapping Tahiri and bringing her to the _Drifter_, where after escaping Yuuzhan Vong custody she'd experienced some kind of a mental breakdown and went on a killing spree. They didn't even know for sure if she was still alive – though Anakin believed she was.

He opened his eyes, heart racing and breathing erratic as guilt over the things he had done began to eat away at him once more. No wonder reaching a calm state necessary for meditation was beyond his grasp. Whenever he closed his eyes, he relived the things he had done, the friends and family he had betrayed.

He raked his fingers through his thick hair just as the door chime sounded. He considered not answering it – even knowing the person who was on the other side of it. But he couldn't avoid her forever and had a funny feeling she would not go away so easily this time.

He didn't move from where he was but signaled through the Force that she could come in if she wanted. His visitor walked in and took a seat opposite him on the floor. Her Force presence was calm and focused as usual, but Jacen detected a hint of worry leaking through – directed at him.

"You have been attempting to meditate," Tenal Ka stated.

Jacen allowed himself a brief smile. "_Attempt _is definitely the right word for it."

"I did not wish to disturb you but since meditation is proving unsuccessful, perhaps you would feel better to just talk about what is bothering you."

"You already know what's bothering me."

"We have always been close, Jacen, but I am not a mind reader. I do not want to make an incorrect assumption regarding what is going on in your heard."

Jacen knew that was his opening to confide in her, but still he hesitated. It wasn't as if he didn't want to. If there was one person in the galaxy he felt comfortable talking to about anything it was Tenal Ka. What held him back was knowing he had deceived her. He had been privy to all the information on the Yuuzhan Vong the Hapes Consortium was willing to share as newest member of the Galactic Alliance. Not to mention how he had been distant, even blown her off more than once so he could continue to develop Tahiri's abilities in secret.

"Jacen, I am not angry with you," said the red-haired warrior, breaking the silence.

"I thought you said you weren't a mind reader."

"That was merely Jedi intuition combined with having known you for so long."

He detected a faint smile on her lips and that made him feel marginally better. "If you were, you would be well within your rights to feel that way."

"You were not yourself. You cannot be held responsible when that organism implanted in your brain was controlling you."

Jacen disagreed. "I'd like to believe that but if I was any kind of a Jedi I would have questioned why I was doing the things that I was doing; why I had periods of blackouts. I've had a lot of time to think and it's making me wonder if something like this had happened to Anakin or Jaina, or even you, if the end result would have been the same."

"Jacen, even the strongest of minds have breaking points or weaknesses," Tenal Ka reflected. "It is part of being human – something you used to remind me of often when we were younger."

"It doesn't change the fact that _I_ was the one doing those things. If Anakin had died that would have been on me. My actions were the reason he was on the _Drifter_ in the first place. We don't even know what happened to Tahiri or Master Horn. If Tahiri did survive, the person she is now is because of what I did."

"Have you spoken to Anakin to see if he shares the same perspective as you?"

"I don't need to talk to my brother to know how he feels."

"You should still speak with him, explain your side of things. You cannot avoid him forever, and you will have at least made the attempt to reconcile. After that it is up to him on what to do next."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It is not easy but it is the most logical course of action."

How was it that after a short talk with Tenal Ka he could feel better than he'd had since Nom Anor restored his memories? She really was amazing. For about the thousandth time he counted himself lucky to have her as his friend.

The word _friend_ reminded him that there was still a lot to sort out between the two of them; words that had been exchanged just before he had been frozen in carbonite to stop the Sickness virus from fully spreading through his body.

He felt like Tenal Ka's previous advice to talk with his brother held true here as well. Gathering his courage, he said, "with everything that's happened we haven't talked about us."

He could tell his abrupt change in topics – or maybe it was the topic he had changed to – momentarily startled her.

Tenal Ka recovered quickly enough, saying, "what is it you wish to talk about?"

_Here goes nothing_, he thought nervously. "On Valc, when I was about to be put into carbonite you said some things. I mean, more specifically you said you loved me. Did you mean that? Or am I interpreting that wrong? Did you mean you loved me as a friend – "

He wasn't sure how long he might have rambled on for if Tenal Ka hadn't made it perfectly clear to him in that moment what she had meant by leaning forward and placing her lips on his. The first time she had ever kissed him he had been completely shocked by her actions – not the least of which it being a completely open display of affection in front of all their friends at the Jedi Academy. Now, years later, the overwhelming feeling he had was relief. Relief that her feelings for him were as strong as what he felt for her. Relief that with one kiss Tenal Ka had conveyed she wanted much more than just friendship from him.

When they parted, faces still very close together, Tenal Ka said in barely audible whisper, "I meant what I said. I only wished I had not waited until I thought I was going to lose you to say it."

Jacen reached out, caressing her cheek with his hand. He wondered why it had taken them so long to reach that moment – why they had made up excuses to just remain friends. It all seemed so silly now. _There's no turning back_, Jacen thought to himself by closing the distance between them and initiating the kiss this time...

[*[*[*[*[*[

Tenal Ka was in very high spirits when she used Bast Castle's communication room to make contact with the Royal Palace on Hapes. She had been off the grid for days, completely out of contact with the Consortium. For the Queen Mother that was unacceptable. Running off on rescue missions and fighting the Yuuzhan Vong were no longer considered a part of her duties.

Now, it was back to reality and she needed to contact her parents to let them know she was all right and would be returning soon. The selfish part of her was already thinking of asking Jacen to return with her to Hapes. The last time she had been scheduled to return home had been after the genocide she had witnessed on Dathomir. Jacen had offered to escort her home back then and she had turned him down. Of course, they had ended up taking a detour in the Imperial Remnant to stop the spread of the same virus that had infected the witches of Dathomir. Jacen became infected with it and had spent months encased in carbonite, while she had no choice but to return to Hapes and assume the throne as she had promised to do.

This time she wanted things to turn out differently. With Jacen fully recovered now, they had been given a second chance. Although their respective duties would always require them to spend some time apart, she would do what was necessary to keep that to a minimum. If he offered to accompany her to Hapes this time she would not turn him down.

While she was checking in with her mother, Jacen was going to find Anakin. She knew he was dreading the conversation but as an added incentive, had promised him they could continue what they had started earlier once they were both done with their respective tasks.

Moments after Tenal Ka punched in the code for the secure holo frequency, her mother's face appeared on screen. She wore a severe expression, causing any lingering thoughts of Jacen to disappear from her mind.

"_My daughter, it is good to see you are unharmed_. _Though I wish I did not have to start off most conversations we have that way_," Teneniel Djo added with an arched eyebrow.

"I will be returning to Hapes once I have a working transport available," Tenal Ka informed her, choosing not to comment on her mother's remark.

"_How long will that be?_"

"A few days at most."

"_I see. What message would you like me to give the Royal Court regarding your absence?_"

"Tell them I had an urgent matter to attend to and will be returning shortly."

"_They will undoubtedly ask questions. You have been gone for sometime – very unusual for a Queen Mother."_

Tenal Ka frowned. Her mother usually spoke her mind instead of dancing around a subject but that was exactly what she seemed to be doing then. "Mother, if there is something on your mind, please speak freely."

"_As you wish, my daughter_," she said with a slight incline of her head. "_You willingly chose the life of a ruler. That means putting the well being of the Consortium above all else, especially in times of war. To be absent as long as you have does not reflect well on your leadership. The people need to believe you have their best interests at heart. To do that, you need to be here._"

Tenal Ka stiffened. "If the matter were not urgent, I would have returned home sooner."

"Could you not have left the rescue of Jacen Solo and Tahiri Veila in the capable hands of the other Jedi?"

"It was necessary that I be a part of it."

"_What happens the next time there is an urgent Jedi matter? Will you run off and leave your people again? I do not say these things to be harsh but these are the same questions you will face upon your return. You are my daughter, which is why I know what your heart truly wants, but you took an oath and you must abide by that_."

"I will fulfill my duties as required. Anyone who questions that will be charged with treason," Tenal Ka responded matter-of-factly.

That seemed to settle the matter and her mother moved on to a new topic. "_Now that we have addressed your return, there is a much more urgent matter we must discuss_. _My network of informants believes the Yuuzhan Vong have infiltrated certain aspects of our government, including the Royal Court."_

Tenal Ka's eyebrows shot up at that news. "How certain are they?"

"_Very. There is one senator in particular from Gallinore that they are following as we speak_._ There are several others we are watching as well._"

Tenal Ka wanted to ask why she had not been informed sooner but she already knew the answer. She had been completely out of contact for days. She was very fortunate her mother was looking after things in her absence. Things that were her responsibility...

"I will message you again when we are ready to leave. In the meantime, please continue to watch over our people."

"_As you command, Queen Mother._"

[*[*[*[*[*[

With a satisfied nod, Anakin closed the outer panel that contained the _Tyrant's _navigation system wiring. For a ship that had been sitting around collecting dust for more than twenty years it was remarkably well preserved. Aside from the natural decay of some of the wiring that was bound to occur over time, there wasn't much Jaina, Zekk and himself had to do to make the ship space worthy again. They probably could have flown it as is in an emergency but they all felt safer ensuring everything was in top working order – particularly the weapons and shields. Another day or two of work and then they would be on their way.

He wished for a bit more time to tinker, not just with the _Tyrant _but with the other ships housed in the hanger bay deep insider Vader's fortress. In particular, the Tie-wing that had probably been his grandfather's personal fighter. However, he knew they needed to return to the fleet. Even more important, he needed to find Tahiri.

Gathering his tools, he marched out of the ship, finding Jacen standing at the bottom of the boarding ramp. His brother's presence wasn't a surprise. Anakin had sensed him standing there for some time, debating whether or not to come on board.

"Need a hand with anything?"

Anakin fixed him with a strange look. "You've never shown any interest in this stuff."

"I used to when we were kids."

"You would just end up playing with whatever pet you had at the time while Jaina and I helped dad with the _Falcon_."

"You're probably right about that," Jacen conceded.

"I appreciate the offer but I've got it covered."

"Well, if you don't want my help maybe we can talk instead."

"Look, Jacen, I'm kind of busy trying to get our ride out of here ready so Tenal Ka can get back to Hapes."

"Anakin, it's important."

Anakin sighed at hearing the pleading note in his brother's voice. "We don't need to do this. I get that it wasn't you doing the things that you did. I'm over it, okay?"

"Even if I did believe you, which I don't, you won't even look at me. Not that I blame you. Just because I was under control of the Yuuzhan Vong doesn't erase everything I did. I'm not asking you to forgive me. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? Sorry won't change what happened to Tahiri because of you," Anakin said, an edge to his voice. "I can probably forgive you for tricking Danni into giving me an untested serum for whatever reason the Vong wanted you to do that, but I can't look past what you did to Tahiri. The Tahiri I saw on the _Drifter_ was like a completely different person – and that's all thanks to you. How could any part of you have thought it was okay to get her to keep developing her abilities when it drew on her Yuuzhan Vong side – made her addicted to pain? Nom Anor was controlling you but it wasn't all the time. I know how that thing they put in your head works. You're still free to make your own choices except when commands are issued. How come you couldn't see what you were doing was wrong? Why didn't you say something about the blackouts you were having? If you're all knowing about the Force how come you couldn't break free of his hold on you?"

Anakin finished venting and didn't feel one ounce better; if anything he felt worse. He hadn't meant to unload on Jacen like that, but his disappointment and anger with his brother had boiled over. He had expected more from him. His older brother was supposed to be powerful and yet he hadn't been able to fight off the commands being given to him from the modified slave seed implanted in his brain.

Rather than give Jacen a chance to respond to anything he just said, Anakin marched back inside the _Tyrant_.

[*[*[*[*

"That should be more than enough to get us to the Remnant," Zekk said as he finished refueling the ship that would take them all to where the Galactic Alliance fleet was stationed after they dropped Tenal Ka off at Hapes.

"Better to be safe than sorry," was Jaina's reply. "With our luck we'll end up running into the Peace Brigade or a Vong blockade."

"Thanks. That makes me feel loads better."

"I'm just being pragmatic. You used to like that about me. What?" Zekk was giving her an odd look for which the life of her she couldn't interpret.

"Nothing. You just seem almost in high spirits. I haven't seen you like this in awhile."

"It's no big deal," she said, turning away and pretending to inspect a mark on the hull so he wouldn't see the slight crimson color tinting her cheeks. They had spent every night together since coming to Bast Castle. It wasn't the first time they'd slept together but something seemed different now. For the time being, however, she didn't want to dissect what was happening between her and Zekk or over analyze it. It was what it was and they could figure it out as they went.

Quite unexpectedly, a warning klaxon blared throughout the hanger bay. She and Zekk exchanged worried looks before rushing over to a small computer station. Jaina tapped into the fortress' defense systems as Anakin had shown her. The readouts on the screen in front of her coupled with live visuals from the hundreds of holo cams strategically placed throughout the planet confirmed that there were a convoy of ships heading toward them.

"Those don't look like Vong ships," Zekk commented, looking over her shoulder.

"That's because they're not," Jaina responded, taking another look at the sensor readings. "The call signs they're giving out belong to the Galactic Alliance."

"Really?" Zekk said, sounding just as shocked as Jaina. "I thought this place wasn't that well known."

"It's not. That's one of the reasons I thought we'd be safe here. I'm surprised the Galactic Alliance would even think to come here. They can't possibly be looking for us."

"You'll have your chance to ask them very soon. They're just about to reach the main landing pad."

As the ships touched down one by one, Jaina paid close attention to one of the individual fighters with the group. It was a Claw craft. Though she had a feeling it was him she was still surprised to see Jagged Fel climb out of his fighter.

She and Zekk went to grab the others before heading outside to find out what had brought the Galactic Alliance convey to Bast Castle.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Nice place," Kyp commented dryly, letting his eyes wander over Bast Castle for the first time. "Little creepy though."

"You should see the inside," Jaina remarked.

"Am I the only one wondering what you're all doing here?" Jacen spoke.

"You can thank your mom for that," said Kyp. "Did you really think she was going to let you all go off on your own walking into what was so obviously a trap? No offense to Corran but she was right in knowing you'd need back up. But when we showed up in the Mandalore sector there was nothing but space debris. From there we started searching nearby systems and eventually stumbled upon Vjun. Where is the infamous CorSec Jedi Master anyway?"

"Master Horn's whereabouts are unknown at the moment," Tenal Ka responded.

"Come again?"

"We got separated. He went after Tahiri and we had to leave before the _Drifter_ self destructed," Jaina explained.

"So Tahiri's not here either?"

"No," Jaina replied, casting a quick glance at her younger brother. His expression was guarded but it didn't take much probing to know he wanted to be out there searching for Tahiri as quickly as possible. Jaina, of course, intended to help with that. "We think she's with Master Horn."

Jaina could tell Kyp wanted to ask how she could be certain the two were even still alive but seemed to think better of it considering everyone in attendance. Jaina was grateful for his rare show of tact.

She turned her attention to the tall dark haired person standing behind the Jedi Master. As surprised as she had been to see Kyp, it was even more surprising to see Jag. She figured he had long since returned to the Chiss Ascendancy. Memories of their last conversation surfaced and she remembered thinking that might be the last time she ever saw him. It had been a memorable conversation but not in a good way.

"I thought you'd be back in Chiss space by now," she said to him.

"I've been asked to start training the pilots of the Remnant," he explained. "The Ascendancy is looking to ally our forces given the recent Yuuzhan Vong attack on Csilla. The Remnant is also preparing to fight the Yuuzhan Vong in galactic space."

"Are the Yuuzhan Vong planning an attack against the Remnant?" Anakin asked.

"More like the Remnant's striking back with a little help from the Galactic Alliance," Kyp answered. "I'll explain everything on the way," he added at seeing a group of identical confused looks. "We better get back to the fleet before your dad gets tired of waiting and takes the _Falcon_ out to look for you."

"We need to make a small detour at Hapes first," Jaina said.

"Of course," said Kyp with a nod. "It's practically on the way. We'll have you back there in no time, your Highness."

Tenal Ka inclined her head in appreciation.

Within minutes, they left Bast Castle and Vjun behind. Their short reprieve from the war was over and now it was straight back into the thick of things.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Corran Horn watched with some relief as the latest Yuuzhan Vong platoon headed off in the opposite direction of where himself and Tahiri were safely concealed behind a mass of tree roots and rocks that looked to have been some kind of dwelling at one point in time. After three days of playing hide and seek with the Yuuzhan Vong who had tracked them to Mandalore, Corran was very much hoping they could avoid any more _encounters_. This latest group was smaller than the others they had dealt with previously, only having four warriors in it. One would think with the destruction of their ship that they'd have more important things to worry about than hunting down a couple of Jedi. Unfortunately, for Corran and Tahiri that was not the case. Apparently, hunting down and killing Jedi didn't stop even when there was no longer a commanding authority around.

Of course their escape pod had to land in one of the most remote areas on the planet, which meant there was at least a hundred miles, and who knew how many Yuuzhaing Vong, separating them from the nearest signs of civilization. He tried to look on the bright side – Tahiri and himself were relatively unharmed, at least physically.

He glanced back at the sleeping form of his apprentice. After days of trampling through mud and vegetation, avoiding Yuuzhan Vong where they could and battling them when they could not, he saw occasional sparks of the Tahiri Veila he had taken on as his student. She kept herself heavily guarded though and he could count on one hand the conversations they'd had that didn't relate to avoiding Yuuzhan Vong or battle tactics. She was still obviously trying to come to terms with what had transpired on the _Drifter_ – killing almost an entire crew of Yuuzhan Vong out of revenge; choosing to leave her friends because she believed she no longer belonged; initiating some kind of merging - and even he wasn't sure that was the right word for it - with her Yuuzhan Vong persona, Riina. On top of all that she seemed to have an obsession with pain that was borderline addiction like. And all of this had happened on his watch.

_Well done, Master Horn_, he chided himself. _You've done a bang up job with your very first apprentice._ All he had to do was teach her, guide her and even those basic tasks had turned out disastrous. He hadn't even realized she was drowning in her pain addiction until it was too late.

"They're getting close again."

"You're supposed to be sleeping."

"It's kind of hard when you're thinking so loud," Tahiri remarked, sitting up. "Besides you should have woken me up almost an hour ago."

"You could use the extra rest."

"You're right to think you failed as a teacher," she said suddenly, her eyes dropping to the ground. "After all, I was a lousy student."

Corran exhaled loudly. For all of Tahiri's faults, he had to admit that speaking her mind wasn't one of them. Though it quite often landed her in trouble with others, he secretly found it refreshing most of the time.

"Is it the student who's actually lousy, or just the end result of having a poor teacher?"

Tahiri's response was to uncoil the pair of amphistaffs she had collected a split second before Corran ignited his lightsaber. There would be no more hiding from this latest group of Yuuzhan Vong stalking them. They would have to be eliminated.

[*[*[*[*[*[

It was almost eerie the way in which they dealt with the Yuuzhan Vong. Corran knew a large part of that had to do with Tahiri's ability to sense them through the Force. Not only did that help herself but she could yell out warnings to him as well. It wasn't quite the same as being able to sense them himself but it definitely gave him more of an equal footing with the aliens, even helping him from losing a limb or worse on more than one occasion.

"I think that's the last of them," Tahiri declared, eyes closed in concentration. "If there's more they're too far away for me to sense them."

"That's the best news I've heard since we crashed here," said Corran, sounding visibly relieved and exhausted as he clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt.

"It's still the student who's lousy."

Corran blinked, confused by her statement.

"Your question before we had to deal with these guys," she spoke again, gesturing to the dead Yuuzhan Vong on the ground. "I made all the wrong choices," she continued, forcing herself to look at him. "Disobeyed you, lied to you and then of all people I turn to my messed up Yuuzhan Vong personality for help and went on a rampage."

"Tahiri – "

"So if you're still evaluating whether or not to keep me as your apprentice, I'll make it easy for you – don't waste any more time on me than you already have."

Tahiri took two steps away from him before Corran grabbed her arm. It wasn't in response to her words but to warn her that they were no longer alone – only this time it was not the Yuuzhan Vong who had found them. From the shadows of the forest, dozens of well armored Mandalorians appeared. Each was armed with a heavy duty blaster assault rifle aimed at the two Jedi.

"Master Horn?" Tahiri spoke, looking for his lead on how to proceed.

Corran quickly considered the options available to them but all seemed to end the same way – in a blood bath. Maybe if he hadn't spent the last three days trampling through the forest fighting two hundred pound warriors with little food or rest, he would have considered using his telekinesis skills on them. But on a group this large – not to mention well armed – he didn't think the success ratio was very high.

Ever so slowly, he took out his lightsaber and placed it on the ground. He signaled to Tahiri to do the same with her own weapons. He would just have to hope that he could talk his way out of the situation they were in. Since Mandalore was yet to fall under Yuuzhan Vong rule, he was counting on that. Then again, maybe they would just use himself and Tahiri as bargaining chips to keep the Vong out of their territory. He wondered when he had turned into such a pessimist.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"You look like you could use a pick me up," said Kyp, dropping a steaming mug in front of Jaina.

"Thanks." She wrapped both hands around the mug of caf saying, "I can't believe we haven't even been gone a week and so much has happened." She was combing through several data pads worth of information on upcoming battle strategies and assault tactics; all part of the joint Galactic Alliance and Imperial Remnant initiative to take back the Core.

Kyp took a seat across from her in the _Timber's_ nearly deserted mess hall. "Nobody expects you to get caught up in a day. You might be a Solo but you're only human after all."

"Ha ha," she said, taking a sip from the mug. "If I'm going to be out there flying, I need to know what the strategies are."

"And here I was thinking you were suffering from a case of insomnia. But it's just the soldier in you that doesn't know how to stay out of the front lines."

Jaina snorted. "You're one to talk. Do you even know what a vacation is?"

"Never heard of it, but it sounds awful." Kyp regarded her closely. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you seem happy – almost cheerful."

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No, of course not. I'm just not used to seeing you like this. Would I be correct to assume it has to do with a certain dark haired Jedi?"

"Kyp..."

"What? I'm just making friendly conversation. Or maybe it's a dark haired Claw craft pilot – though I did notice a bit of tension there."

Jaina raised an eyebrow at him. "So this is what it's like to be a Jedi Master? Using your great Force powers to nose around in other people's love lives?"

Kyp shrugged, not at all offended by her remark. "Only those I care about."

"I'm touched, Kyp, but there's no way I'm talking about Zekk or Jag with you. It would be, well, weird. I mean you're old enough to be my dad."

"Ouch. Way to make me feel old, Solo," said Kyp, looking wounded.

"You're only as old as you feel," she said smiling sweetly at him.

"You know, I think I liked the darker, edgier Jaina better," he remarked. "At least she didn't seem to have fun at my expense."

"Speaking of the darker, edgier me," Jaina started, suddenly looking apprehensive. "I've been doing some thinking about my future as a Jedi. Since the start of the war being the best pilot I could be was more important than furthering my skills as a Jedi. In a way I've always kind of resented my mom for never finishing her training and always putting some bureaucratic or political nonsense first. But I seem to be doing the exact same thing. In looking at my brothers, I've seen how far I've fallen behind them in terms of skill. I could barely keep up with them on the _Drifter _and Anakin nearly got himself killed because I wasn't fast enough. So I guess what I'm saying is if you want to – I mean if your offer still stands – I'd be willing to give being your apprentice a try."

There were a number of sarcastic remarks Kyp could have made at that moment but chose not to. He knew Jaina had not come by this decision lightly. "You won't regret it, Jaina."

"I hope not."

"It means you'll need to start calling me _Master Durron_."

"Never going to happen."

"I can foresee respect being a major obstacle in our teacher-student relationship."

Jaina laughed as a junior officer approached their table.

"Excuse me, but I've been asked to relay a message that there's a Master Horn on the comm looking to speak with you."

The stunned look on her face matched the one plastered on Kyp's. After they dropped Tenal Ka off they had intended to start the search for the Jedi Master and Tahiri, but it looked like that wouldn't be necessary after all. If Master Horn was contacting them it meant he wasn't lying dead in a pile of space debris that was now the _Drifter_.

She and Kyp practically bolted from the mess hall, barely hearing the officer say, "you can take the call in the conference room down the hall. Anakin Solo is in there already."

[*[*[*[*[*[

Anakin did his best not to let his disappoint show when after listening to Master Horn's recap of his escape, he asked to speak with Tahiri – to see she was really fine with his own eyes – and the Jedi Master told him she didn't want to speak to him.

"Anakin, don't take it personally," Corran was saying to him then. "She's just not ready yet. There's a lot for her to deal with. It's going to take some time."

Anakin barely nodded to show he had heard the elder Jedi. After everything they had been through together, what they meant to each other – and she didn't even want to see him? How was he supposed to take that? Worse yet he could feel her blocking him. He could still sense her through the Force but it was without the intense connection they had shared since childhood. That hurt the most.

Before he could ask any more questions, his sister showed up with Kyp. They both stepped in front of the HoloNet screen.

"It's good to see you, Corran," said Kyp. "Though I have to say you've looked better," he added, taking in the older Jedi's haggard appearance, along with the flecks of mud and blood on his face.

"Let's see how you look after spending days being chased by relentless Yuuzhan Vong," Corran responded dryly.

"I assume Tahirii's with you?" Jaina asked, casting a sidelong glance at her brother. He looked miserable but if there was something wrong she was sure she would have picked up more than that.

"She is," he replied, nodding. "Anakin can fill you in on the details but she's fine. The Mandalorians are getting a transport ready for us so we can get out of here."

Kyp raised an eyebrow. "Made some new friends, have you?"

"Actually, yes. They're quite impressed with the way we handled the Yuuzhan Vong."

"Sounds like you made quite the impression," Jaina observed. "The Jedi could use all the allies we can get."

"Speaking of allies, the Hapans could probably use Tahiri's help." Kyp quickly explained the situation facing the Hapes Cluster where it was believed there were a number of Yuuzhan Vong operatives having invaded high ranking positions and yet Teneniel Djo had not detected any Force voids.

"We'll meet you on Hapes," Corran said to them once Kyp had finished.

"Are you sure Tahiri's up for this?" Jaina asked him. Her last memory of the blond Jedi was still fresh in her mind. Tahiri turning into a rage-filled Yuuzhan Vong killer, who refused to come back with them when they had tried to rescue her.

"She may not be herself just yet but I know she'll want to help."

"In the meantime, we'll let the Queen Mother know some extra help is coming," Kyp told him.

"See you in a few days."

Before the holo screen had darkened completely, Jaina turned to her brother who had been silent since she had walked in the room. "Anakin, are you all right?"

"Tahiri's alive. That's all that matters."

"Did you talk to her?"

"No. She didn't want to see me. It's fine, Jaina," he added, knowing what she would say. "I'll see her when she gets to Hapes. That is, if she's ready to see me by then."

Jaina watched him walk from the room, wondering why her brother and Tahiri just couldn't catch a break? There always seemed to be some force working against them. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't sure what could be done to change that, especially with Anakin's violent visions being tied to Tahiri. She hadn't yet given up hope on finding a solution to that but it no longer seemed as easy a task as she had once thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

If there was one thing Tahiri was absolutely certain about it was that she would never be any good at Jedi mediation. How was it that a person was expected to completely clear their mind of everything – especially when that person had the kind of emotional baggage she did? In particular, a Yuuzhan Vong alter ego named Riina running around in her head making her feel like she was losing her mind half the time. But even that was different now. When she had given in to Riina on the _Drifter_ something had changed. While Riina still existed as a separate personality, she felt like there had been some kind of merging of minds between them. To what extent, she wasn't sure but even now could feel the residual effects of it. That probably explained how she was able to sense Yuuzhan Vong.

Not that these things hadn't been achieved without consequences. Connecting with Riina had been overwhelming, so much so she had let both her anger and Riina's control her. Both hated what had been done to them; both wanted to be free and above all else both wanted to make the Yuuzhan Vong suffer for what they had done. She had slaughtered countless Yuuzhan Vong without remorse and if Master Horn hadn't stopped her Tahiri shuddered to think of where she would be right now.

She had experienced firsthand the kind of power available to her. She was strong and with her ability to sense Yuuzhan Vong she had been all but unstoppable. It terrified her to know that she had that kind of darkness within her – had always been inside her. If she wanted it, that kind of power and control could be hers again. She could put an end to the war, make the Yuuzhan Vong suffer for their crimes...

Tahiri let out a shaky breath. She definitely did not want to start down that path again. So where did that leave her? She was a half trained Jedi at best and every chance Master Horn had given her she had managed to screw up either in complete disobedience or because she had been arrogant enough to think she knew better than a Jedi Master.

"As long as we don't run into any Interdictors, we should reach Hapes before tomorrow," Corran announced, strolling into the back cargo hold of the small Mandalorian freighter. He tossed a cylindrical-like object to her that she caught with ease.

She threw him a quizzical look. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I didn't realize you had developed a case of amnesia. It's a lightsaber."

"I know what it is," she said, frowning. "But why are you giving me yours?"

"To practice with since you don't have one at the moment. Last time we trained your footwork had improved but it could still be better."

Tahiri was silent for a time, running her hands over the cold metallic object in her hands. "I already told you not to waste any more time on me. Haven't I disappointed you enough?"

Corran sighed. "Look, we both screwed up. I should have been paying closer attention and you should have listened more. But I'm willing to put that behind us and move forward if you are."

"What if I can't?"

The Jedi Master briefly touched her Force presence, feeling the fear and doubt swirling around her like a thick fog. "You're scared. That's good – you should be after what you've been through. That fear will remind you of what can happen when you let things like anger and hate control you."

"I thought fear was a dark side emotion."

"Everything in moderation. It's unrealistic to expect a person to never be jealous or spiteful or even fearful. It's human nature. What's important is how you choose to deal with it – you can either drown in it or accept it and move on."

_Drown in it or accept it and move on_. Tahiri mulled over the Jedi Master's words, feeling like she had done more than her fair share of drowning over the past couple of years. According to Corran, the only way for her to break that cycle was to accept what had happened – what had been done to her – and move on. Easier said than done.

Moving her thumb over the switch, Master Horn's lightsaber hummed to life in her hands. Tahiri realized the first step toward that was to stop sitting around feeling sorry for herself. She could feel his renewed belief in her and what she was capable of if she just applied herself. She vowed not to let him down this time.

[*[*[*[*[*[

As she returned to her quarters late at night, Jaina wondered if Kyp was starting to think he had gotten more than he bargained for by taking her on as his apprentice. She would certainly keep his ego in check. The same could also be said of her. More than once that night he had put her in her place during a sparring session. Surprisingly he didn't gloat or rub it in. He actually used her defeats to point out where there were holes in her fighting style and made recommendations on corrections. It had only been a couple of days but so far he had proved to be a pretty capable teacher.

Of course there were certain problems her Jedi teacher couldn't help her with. One of those problems was standing outside her quarters waiting for her. She slowed her pace, giving herself a bit more time to think before she reached him. If she was honest with herself she had been avoiding being alone with Jag since leaving Vjun.

Whatever had started between them before he had been ordered back to the Unknown Regions was very much at the forefront of Jaina's mind. But when he had returned weeks later to help initiate an alliance between the Ascendancy and Empire his attitude toward her had been extremely cold. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve such treatment. She had been angry at him for awhile but after some time it began to bother her less. What did it matter anyways? The reality was she couldn't see a future that involved herself and Jag together. They lived on opposite ends of the galaxy and she would never ask him to put her first over his military duties, or vice versa. Even knowing all that from the start she had still let herself fall for him and that was why his leaving had hurt so much – though she had never admitted that to anyone.

She hadn't expected Jag to seek her out like this and now she had little choice but to speak to him.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long," she said as she approached him.

"Only a few minutes," he responded.

"What were you planning on doing if I didn't show up?"

"I would have waited," he said in all seriousness. "Sooner or later you would have returned. May I come in so we can talk?"

"I think we can just talk out here. It's late – no one's around."

"Here it is then." He didn't appear put off by her refusal to speak with him inside her quarters.

She looked at Jag expectantly. When he didn't speak, she did a quick probe of his aura and found it hard to keep her eyes from widening in shock. _He was nervous! _Jag had incredible mental discipline for a non-Force sensitive but it was there, a small chink in his mental armor that allowed Jaina to read him. To pry any further would be an invasion of his privacy so she waited patiently for him to finally speak.

"As you know, I've been given a new assignment to help train the Empire's pilots on how to engage the Yuuzhan Vong in battle," he started. "It was one of the conditions the Empire threw in as part of having an alliance with the Ascendancy. Most of their current pilots have never seen actual combat, so it was an expected request. I wanted to ask for your help with this task."

"_Me?_"

"You have years of combat experience against a number of different Yuuzhan Vong weaponry and ships. You are perfectly qualified."

"I'm flattered you would ask."

"If you're worried about it taking you away from your squadron it won't," Jag added, feeling like she might decline. "That will still come first. This will be more of a side project."

"With just the two of us?"

"Yes, at least to start. I'm not sure how well this is going to work. Once we have a proper training plan figured out I'll consider asking others to help us." After a moment, he added, "it will also give us more of an opportunity to spend time together."

Despite her best efforts, Jaina felt her cheeks flush. It was crazy the kind of effect Jag could have on her with a few words.

"You still haven't given me your answer."

"Yes. I'd be happy to help out."

The gap between them had closed considerably over the last several moments and now Jag's face was only inches away from hers. She knew what was going to happen, what she could have easily let happen but her conscience got the better of her.

"Jag... wait."

"What is it?" He said, his lips still very dangerously close to hers.

"I'm... Zekk and I..." She struggled to find the right words but one look at Jag's face told her she didn't have to worry about saying anything more.

He straightened. "I see. I guess I incorrectly assumed that it wasn't serious between the two of you."

"Hang on, what are you talking about?" How could he have even known they were together? Last time they had discussed Zekk, she had confirmed for Jag that they were nothing more than friends.

"When I first came back to galactic space I ran into Zekk on my way to see you. He made it fairly clear there was something between the two of you."

Jaina's mind was spinning. There had most certainly been nothing going on between the two of them at that point in time. She wasn't sure what Zekk had said to make Jag believe that but it certainly explained Jag's hostile attitude toward her afterward.

"He's in there right now, isn't he? That's why you didn't want me to come in."

"Jag, there's some things I need to explain – "

"It's obvious you've chosen Zekk," he cut her off. "I will respect your decision and not interfere."

"Jag – "

But it was no use. He was already walking away.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Jaina glared at Zekk, hands on her hips. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

The only thing that stopped Jaina from unleashing her temper on him the moment she entered her quarters was their years of friendship. She thought she should at least give him the benefit of the doubt even when she was pretty sure she had every reason to be angry with him.

"Is there a reason why talking to Jag should make you this upset?"

Of course he had eavesdropped on their conversation. She wondered how much of it he had heard. She pushed that thought aside. It was only derailing her purpose then. "You tell me. He seemed to be under the impression you and I have been something of a couple for awhile now. What did you say to him?"

Zekk shifted uncomfortably, not quite meeting her gaze as he spoke. "I ran into him when he came back. It was early in the morning after we'd spent the night going through all the Holo security footage on the _Ralroost_. He saw me leaving your quarters and I may have implied that we spent the night together."

Jaina's eyes became dangerous slits. "Define _spent the night together_."

"You know what I mean. I may have also used the Force to help make him believe certain things happened."

"You're unbelievable!" Jaina exploded.

Zekk took an involuntary step back from the smouldering anger rolling off of her. "I'm sorry, Jaina. I regretted it afterward. I know how you feel about him and how he feels about you – "

"Congratulations, Zekk, you got what you wanted. He was pissed off at me and I didn't even know why!"

"Jaina, I'm sorry."

"You said that already."

"I don't know what else to say. I was jealous and it was a childish thing to do. You can be angry at me for this but it doesn't change the fact that something has started to happen between us. It's the reason you couldn't kiss Jag just now. You were going to tell him about us."

By this point Jaina was too angry to speak or even acknowledge that what he said might be the truth. At that moment, however, she couldn't stand the sight of him. She stormed out of there and Zekk did the smart thing by not trying to stop her.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Tenal Ka disembarked from a small shuttle to find herself in the company of about hundred politicians and nobleman. That number didn't even include the armament of ceremonial Royal Guards that flanked either side of her as she walked down the landing ramp and descended onto the ground. There was applause and cheers of excitement for the Queen Mother having returned home.

"Better get used to this, your Highness," Jacen whispered, close to her ear.

She could hear the teasing sound in his voice and it only made her dread the current situation even more. She knew it was Hapan custom to greet the Queen Mother in such a fashion but that didn't mean she had to like it. She could at least take comfort in the fact that her grandmother, standing in the front row of the crowd, was scowling for any number of reasons – wearing her familiar lizard hide armor, having her Jedi friends accompany her, leaving for an extended period of time and who knew what else.

"Are you sure Ta'a Chume can't use the Force? I feel her stare burning into my skull," Jaina quipped from the other side of her.

A hush quickly fell over the crowd as Tenal Ka raised a hand. "Thank you all for coming today," she began, projecting her voice so she could be easily heard by everyone. "I regret being away as long as I have but there were responsibilities to be fulfilled that demanded my immediate attention. With those tasks completed, I can now devote my full attention to the safety and well being of each planet in the Consortium. Should a time arise when the Yuuzhan Vong dare enter our borders we will prove to them what a vital mistake that is."

There was a roaring applause as Tenal Ka finished. She knew she had to address her prolonged absence – her mother had advised her as much – without going into specifics. She was certain if the actual truth were known – that she had put the needs of her closest and most trusted friend before the Consortium – it would not sit well with the majority of those present.

She had only been Queen Mother for a few months but in that time had broken one of the most sacred rules governing a Queen Mother – and really, without giving it a second thought. Jacen had been in trouble and his rescue had been the only thing that mattered. She knew that she could not make the same decision so hastily again. Jacen was a Jedi and they were in the middle of a war. She wouldn't be able to take off and help him whenever he found himself in trouble.

Her parents stepped forward at that moment, embracing her lightly. Tenal Ka suppressed the urge to smile as her grandmother's scowl deepened. It was unbecoming of a Queen Mother to accept signs of affection - such as a hug from one's parents - in public. Tenal Ka, however, planned to re-write many of the outdated and archaic traditions during her reign.

"Your Mother and I are glad to see you return safely."

"I am glad to be back, Father. Although the decision may not be a popular one, I will be having several Jedi remain on Hapes to help deal with our potential Yuuzhan Vong problem. Jedi Master Horn and Jedi Veila should be arriving soon as well."

Isolder nodded. "You are the Queen Mother. The decision is yours to make. I'm sure if the Jedi are able to uncover any infiltrators the Royal Court will warm to their presence."

"I better get going, your Highness. The rest of us have a long trip back to the Remnant," Jaina spoke up then.

"Take care, friend Jaina."

The two long time friends exchanged a hug, with Jaina saying, "look after my brothers."

"Of course. What of Alema?"

"She can take care of herself, but I'd still keep an eye on her just in case. She can be a bit unpredictable."

Jaina hugged each of her brothers in turn before climbing back up the landing ramp and disappearing inside the shuttle.

Tenal Ka watched her friend fly away. Once the shuttle was out of sight, she turned back to face the line up of advisors who were waiting to brief her on every matter she had missed while away.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"My scans detect nothing out of the ordinary. You are fine, Jedi Solo."

"You are certain there is no trace of the Yuuzhan Vong organism?" Tenal Ka said to the Hapan doctor.

The woman didn't appear to appreciate having her diagnosis questioned but remembered who she was talking to and simply responded with, "yes, Highness. Based on Jedi Solo's brain scans, there are no foreign organisms present. We ran blood work as well to be absolutely certain."

"I appreciate your thoroughness."

"If you'll excuse me, Queen Mother. I have other patients that need my attention."

The doctor vacated the prestigious examination room, leaving Tenal Ka alone with a very relieved looking Jacen.

"At least we don't have to worry about me revealing any Hapan secrets to the Yuuzhan Vong while I'm here," he joked.

"This is a fact."

Although they had used the sophisticated medical equipment available at Bast Castle to confirm that Jacen was indeed himself again, to be absolutely certain he had wanted a medical professional to verify that. Tenal Ka had easily arranged that, using the private physician of the Royal family.

"I'll message Jaina later to let her know I'm fine."

"Would you like to join me for dinner tonight?" Tenal Ka asked suddenly.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Like a date?"

"If you consider having my parents present a date," she returned smoothly.

"Ah, so it's a meet-the-parents type of dinner."

"Jacen, you have met my parents many times before."

"True, but things are a little different now. What exactly are you planning on telling them about us? I mean your dad might not figure it out but your mom is Force sensitive."

"Our... relationship is none of their business. It is not that I wish to keep it from them," she added quickly, worrying what Jacen might think. "But I would prefer to keep things private for now. You must understand that when others find out your life will be in danger."

"You mean more than it already is?"

Tenal Ka's expression was a serious one. "I face assassination attempts regularly. It would be no different for you. I need to make certain you are aware of the risk you take being with me," she added, voice softening.

"I accept those risks." He moved off the examination table to stand in front of her. Feeling bold, he cupped her cheeks with his hands and kissed her. When they parted, he said with a Solo grin, "should I have asked for the Queen Mother's permission first before doing that?"

Tenal Ka's response to that was to press her lips firmly against Jacen's.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Jacen silently thanked his mother for the hundred or so banquet dinners he had been dragged along to from early on in his childhood. It certainly helped prepare him so he wouldn't embarrass himself or Tenal Ka in front of her parents. Admittedly, he was a little nervous so called upon a Jedi calming technique before walking in to the private dining room belonging to the Royal Family.

Tenal Ka was already there with her parents when he arrived. She greeted him warmly but kept her distance. He understood her reasons and would respect her desire to keep their relationship hidden. Though the fact that she invited only him and not his brother or Alema was bound to look a little suspicious. He had said as much to Tenal Ka and her response had simply been to say there was nothing wrong with asking her best friend to dinner.

A male Hapan server had just put a chilled seafood salad in front of him when the dining room's solid wood doors opened and Tenal Ka's grandmother strode in.

"Ah, good. It looks like my timing is perfect. You're just getting started." She snapped her fingers at the Hapan server to set a place for her at the table.

Tenal Ka held up a hand, stopping the man from moving any further. She glared at her grandmother. "Is there something you needed, Grandmother?"

"I heard there was a Royal Family dinner tonight, and can only assume one of the inept aides forgot to deliver my invitation."

"Your assumptions are incorrect. You were not invited," Tenal Ka returned coldly.

Ta'a Chume pretended to look offended. "You would deny me a chance to share a meal with my only granddaughter?"

"Please leave, Grandmother, before I forcibly remove you."

Unfazed by Tenal Ka's remark, the older woman said, "that will be unnecessary. I will take my leave but first wanted to present you with a list of eligible nobleman for you to choose from. When you agreed to become Queen Mother, I had informed you I would work on this. It has taken longer than expected but you will find within this datapad the best the Consortium has to offer. Of course if you wish to include Jacen Solo in with this lot that is your business."

"Mother, that is quite enough!" Isolder spoke in a stern voice.

Ta'a Chume bowed politely to her granddaughter. "I will take my leave, Queen Mother. You know where to find me if you have any questions," she said, dropping the datapad onto the table before turning and walking briskly from the room.

"I am sorry for my mother," Isolder apologized to Jacen. "She likes to involve herself in matters she feels are her concern."

"My daughter, are you all right?" Teneniel asked, watching Tenal Ka who was still standing with fists clenched at her sides.

"I am fine, Mother," she said, composing herself. "Make certain we are not interrupted again," she snapped at the lone server still in the room.

"Yes, Queen Mother." He bowed respectfully before leaving the room.

When Tenal Ka finally sat down, Jacen could tell she was still rattled by her grandmother's appearance. For Jacen, he was having trouble tearing his eyes away from the datapad she had left on the table directly in front of him. Why was Ta'a Chume working on a list of eligible suitors for Tenal Ka? But more importantly, why hadn't Tenal Ka said anything to him about that?

[*[*[*[*[*[

"There, good as new," Alema declared brightly, slapping a bacta patch on Anakin's arm. They were in the spacious quarters Tenal Ka had provided him with at the Fountain Palace.

"Thanks," said Anakin, his tone sarcastic.

"Oh come on, Anakin. I know you had a good time. It was at least more fun than having dinner with the Royal Family."

While Jacen was having dinner with Tenal Ka and her parents, Alema had decided they should explore Hapes. She had led him to some of the more unrefined areas on the planet; where she found a tapcafe and dragged Anakin in with her. She had proceeded to enter a sabacc tournament where she quickly built up a large pile of winnings. No one recognized the two of them and they kept their lightsabers carefully concealed. Nevertheless, Alema kept winning and eventually a Barabel at the table declared her a cheater, followed by several others. Soon after, tempers started flaring and a brawl broke out with Anakin and Alema right smack in the middle of it.

He hadn't wanted to give away that they were Jedi – it wouldn't have looked good on Tenal Ka since she was the one who had brought them there – so he had used the Force as little as possible. Needless to say that was how Anakin had ended up with several large gashes on his arm thanks to a pair of Barabel claws, as well as a subsequent slugging to his face. At least his nose wasn't broken – small victories.

"If you hadn't been cheating, we would have been fine," he said, knowing she had been using the Force to read the emotions of the other players and determine the type of hand they had. "Or you could have at least lost a few hands on purpose. Nobody's _that_ good at sabacc."

"There's no fun in losing."

"Let's just hope nobody recognized us."

"At a place like that, I doubt it. Besides, your brother has it in with the Queen Mother so she can bail us out of any trouble."

Anakin groaned. "The last thing I need is Jacen knowing I got into a bar fight. I'll never live that down."

"They are an odd couple those two. Tenal Ka is all warrior-like and your brother is the poster boy for pacifism."

"They used to be odder," Anakin told her. "Jaina said when they were at my Uncle's Academy together he used to try so hard to make Tenal Ka laugh with his ridiculous jokes." Alema just stared at him as if he had told her the Yuuzhan Vong wanted to live in peace with all other beings in the galaxy. "If you don't believe me, just ask my sister. My parents probably even have old holovids of him telling jokes."

Alema still appeared to be in shock by Anakin's revelation of his older brother. "And then he just suddenly changed overnight and became Jedi Jacen Serious with a lightsaber stuck up his ass?"

"More or less. He left the Academy when he was sixteen and shortly after – just before the war with the Vong broke out – he became different; more reserved, focused on the true meaning of what it meant to be a Jedi."

"Wow. Never in a million years would I have guessed Jacen had been a relaxed, fun-loving kind of guy. That might actually be fun to tease him about, see what kind of reaction I can get."

"I'm sure you'll get the reaction you're looking for," Anakin chuckled and then winced. He reached up to touch the spot on his face where the Barabel had slugged him.

"That bruise is probably going to hurt worse in the morning," Alema said, inspecting his face. "Sorry about that. We'll have a better tag team strategy worked out for our next bar fight."

Despite himself, Anakin broke out into a grin.

Alema grinned in return. "See, I knew you had fun."

"Maybe a little," he admitted.

"It was more than a little, Solo. All that excitement was right up your alley."

It was then Anakin noticed how close Alema was to him. After patching up his injuries she hadn't moved away and now she was staring at him in such a way he knew what she was thinking without needing to reach out with the Force. He swallowed. "I had a good time. I'll see you in the morning, all right?"

Alema didn't move – at least not her legs. She let her hand run up Anakin's arm before lightly touching his uninjured cheek.

He swallowed. "Alema, we've talked about this. I care about you – a lot – but we're friends. Tahiri and I – "

"Are not together at the moment," she finished for him, her hand caressing his cheek now. "I know that you two will work it out somehow. But in the meantime, can't we just..."

Alema stopped speaking, moving her head forward. Anakin watched as she licked her lips and he couldn't help himself from feeling drawn toward Alema, closing what little distance remained between them –

A split second before their lips touched, Anakin's comm chimed. It seemed to shake him back to reality; make him realize what he had been about to do. He could feel Alema's disappointment as he broke off and reached into his pocket.

"Go ahead."

"_I thought you'd like to know that Master Horn and Tahiri have arrived. They should be at the Fountain Palace shortly_," Jacen's voice sounded.

"Thanks. I'll be there." He quickly switched off his comm, knowing his voice sounded off and he didn't want Jacen to start asking questions. He looked at the Twi'lek who was still standing close to him. He didn't know what to say to her but felt like he couldn't just leave with so much still hanging between them.

"You should go," Alema said, surprising him by backing off. "You don't want to keep Vong Girl waiting."

"Alema – "

"It's okay, Anakin." She flashed him a small smile that didn't meet her eyes before leaving his room.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Corran glanced over at his apprentice, feeling her anxiety and knew it was there for several reasons. He wondered if he had been right to ask her to go to Hapes. Though the alternative was to have her sit around doubting herself and be completely cut off from everyone else. He knew her recovery would take time but if there was one thing he had learned about Tahiri it was that she was resilient. If she could help the Hapans with their Yuuzhan Vong problem then she could also help herself at the same. The second reason for her anxiety likely had to do with a certain ice blue eyed Jedi who was as much a magnet for trouble as she was. He had respected her wishes not to speak with Anakin while still on Mandalore but now that they were on Hapes it would not be so easy to avoid him.

"You've got every right to be nervous," he spoke to her then. "It's a pretty overwhelming place."

"I feel like the Hapan motto should be _do everything over the top_."

Corran allowed himself a brief smile. It was good to see her sense of humor still intact.

At that very moment a massive set of doors opened and out walked Tenal Ka with Jacen, flanked by a small contingent of Hapan royal guards.

It happened so quickly, Corran wondered where his apprentice had learned to move like that. One moment Tahiri was behind him, the next she was in front, taking up a fighting stance as she brandished an amphistaff.

"They're Yuuzhan Vong."

That was all the explanation Corran needed. "Which ones?" He asked, drawing his lightsaber.

"Almost all of them."

Seeing the Jedi Master's own lightsaber come to life, Jacen and Tenal Ka pulled out theirs. At that same instant, realizing that their cover was blown, half the contingent of guards was replaced with Yuuzhan Vong as the oglith masquers cloaking them peeled back.

Tahiri charged forward ahead of her Master.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Tahiri wiped the sweat from her brow. Looking down at her hand she could see flecks of dry blood on it. She had a brief flashback to her time aboard the _Drifter_ and all the Yuuzhan Vong she had killed. She couldn't recall the exact number – whether it was dozens or hundreds – her actions then were very much like a dream where she could only recall bits and pieces. She had acted without restraint and Corran had just barely been able to stop her from falling all the way. Even now it had been difficult to not let her emotions and Riina's get the better of her as she battled the Yuuzhan Vong alongside her friends and mentor.

Looking around, the once peaceful and magnificent foyer was littered with signs of carnage. It literally looked like a battle front had opened up in the middle of the Fountain Palace. Fortunately, because of the time of day there had been few other Hapans around so the casualties had been minimal.

Tahiri had begun treating the injured before the medics had arrived. They seemed genuinely grateful for her help and didn't think it was at all strange that she should have the ability to take away their injuries. To them it seemed just another one of the mystical perks of being a Jedi. She knew Corran was keeping a very close eye on her, but he didn't interfere.

Unlike in the past, she recognized her body had limits and hers was very close to reaching that point. As if to prove that, she lost her footing as she tried to walk to the next injured Hapan and stumbled. A strong pair of hands helped to steady her.

Tahiri didn't need to look up to see who it was. She could tell just by the feel of his touch. When she turned around, he was still holding her arms. Concern shone in his ice blue eyes along with a half dozen other emotions bombarding Tahiri all at once.

"Thanks," she said, her voice somewhat unsteady as he released her. It took everything she had not to throw her arms around Anakin and kiss him senseless.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded, needing a few moments to collect herself. "Still working out the kinks," she said with a tired smile. "Though I think I've reached my limit for today." She studied his face. There were fresh bruises covering one side of it along with varying degrees of cuts. "What happened to your face?"

"It's a bit of a long story but it looks worse than it is."

She had erected all kinds of mental walls to keep Anakin at a distance when there had been hundreds of light years separating them, but they seemed to come crumbling down the moment he had touched her. Just as when she had saved his life prior to their escape from the _Drifter_, she felt the Force bond they had once shared flare to life. She almost didn't put back the mental barriers she had in place but knew it was for the best.

"You've been blocking me for awhile now," he said, frowning in response to her actions. "Tahiri, what's going on?"

"You really have to ask me that? You know why I can't – why _we_ can't. Anakin, please don't make this any harder."

"If this is because of my visions – "

"That's only part of it." Feeling her defenses slipping, she knew she needed to get away from him. "I need some air," she said suddenly and walked away.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Anakin followed her outside. She kept her back to him though, trying to build up an emotional distance from him.

"Tahiri?"

They had been best friends for over seven years and not once had she ever heard him say her name with such hesitancy, as if he wasn't sure how she would respond to him. She turned around and faced him but before she could say anything Anakin spoke.

"This is about what happened on the _Drifter_," he started slowly as if unsure of how to broach the subject with her but also sensing this was the other reason for her pulling away from him. "Jacen explained to me some of what happened with Riina. You weren't yourself – "

"Don't make excuses for the way I acted," she cut in, her voice sounding harsher than she intended. "I have a darkness within me I didn't even know was there. It wasn't just my shaping either – it was everything in my life contributing to that – losing my parents, losing Sliven, always being an outsider. When I connected with Riina that meant I took on her pain too. It was overwhelming but I was still in control of the choices I made. I think connecting with her is also why I can sense Yuuzhan Vong now."

Anakin said nothing for several moments but she could see the burning questions in his eyes. Things he wanted to ask her. She figured she might as well save him the trouble and at least answer a few of them.

"Riina isn't gone. She's still running around in my head but it's like we have some sort of an understanding now. She's not trying to take over and I'm not trying to push her out. We're just existing together and if I wanted to I could connect with her again, but given what happened last time I'm not sure that's such a good idea to try anytime soon. It's difficult to explain beyond that. I'm not exactly sure how it's going to work in the long run but it seems to be working for now."

"If there's anything I can do to help –"

"There isn't."

"How can you say that?"

"Because your idea of helping me is trying to get back the old Tahiri. What I told you on the _Drifter_ was true – I will never be her again. The things I've done, who I've become now is the new Tahiri. I know you can't accept that."

"I can accept that you're different. What I have a hard time accepting is you think you're better off going through this alone. You know we're stronger together. It's always been like that."

"I need to figure out who I am now. I can't do that if I'm with you because it's too easy to just let you take care of me and pretend like everything's okay. I need to do this on my own. I know that's not want you want to hear but it's the truth. In case you've forgotten, there's also the little nagging problem where your crippling visions are tied to me. We're both better off keeping some distance from each other."

She walked away from him after that. They might not have the same Force bond they once did – that had been severed the moment she connected with Riina – but that didn't stop her from feeling how deeply she had hurt him.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"That definitely wasn't the epic make up scene I was expecting."

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Tahiri glared back at the person responsible for that remark. "You've been out here listening to us the whole time?"

Alema shrugged, moving out from where she had been leaning against the Palace wall. "I didn't want to interrupt the two of you."

"Right, because eavesdropping is so much better."

"For your sake it's a good thing I did. What in Hutt's name is wrong with you? After everything the two of you have been through together and you want to push him away?"

"I don't expect you to understand any of this – "

"I understand that Anakin is one of the few decent people I've met in this galaxy and you're finding stupid excuses not to be with him. If it didn't scare him off after you were shaped, do you really think a little, tiny brush with the dark side will?"

Tahiri chose not to respond to that. "Maybe this is the opportunity you've been waiting for. You might actually have a shot with him now."

"Don't say that unless you mean it."

"Come on, Alema. Are you really going to try and tell me you haven't made a pass at him the entire time we've been apart? I knew it," she said, taking Alema's silence as confirmation. What she didn't understand was a feeling she likened to guilt coming from the Twi'lek. Alema, feeling guilty about hitting on her boyfriend – or ex-boyfriend or whatever she and Anakin were at the moment? That definitely didn't make any sense. It had her wondering what exactly happened between those two.

"Anakin's only got eyes for one person – and she happens to be blond and suffers from split personality disorder," Alema said, interrupting Tahiri's thoughts. "But if you're too screwed up to see that then you don't deserve him. And maybe I will take my shot with him after all."

As if to prove her point, the Twi'lek pushed passed her, presumably to find Anakin.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

It was late the following morning when Jacen awoke in his room at Reef Fortress. It had been a long night for all of the Jedi after discovering the Yuuzhan Vong who were disguising themselves as part of Tenal Ka's honor guard. While Master Horn, Anakin and himself had helped Tenal Ka re-secure the Fountain Palace, Tahiri had been healing many of the wounded before the Hapan medics had shown up. He had noticed her and Anakin slip off together but when his brother returned alone he had a feeling their reunion had not gone well.

They were all to return to the Fountain Palace that day and continue to look for Yuuzhan Vong who had infiltrated the Royal Court, or rather Tahiri would uncover who the infiltrators were and they would deal with them.

Before heading back, Jacen wanted a chance to speak with Tahiri alone. He didn't anticipate it would go much better than when he had approached Anakin to explain himself and try to set things right between them. It went without saying it was not a conversation he was looking forward to but it was necessary.

He approached her slowly but she would have detected his presence from the moment he set foot outside. His chosen pace had a lot to do with the fact that he had no idea what to say to her. He didn't think a simple apology would do considering what he had put her through.

He reached her side and looked out at the vast drop to the ocean below. Jacen had never had a fear of heights but seeing how far the cliff stretched down from Reef Fortress would make anyone a little queasy – and here Tahiri was sitting on the edge of it with her bare feet dangling over the side.

"I don't plan on jumping if that's what you're worried about," Tahiri said to him. "It would be kind of a waste after what everyone went through to rescue me."

Jacen focused his attention on the blond Jedi in front of him, remembering the last time they had spoken. There had been a darkness surrounding her then. It was still there now though much less profound, but there was no denying she was different. Not quite a new person, but not quite the same Tahiri Veila either. Tahiri broke eye contact with him, sensing what he was doing.

"I'm sorry," he apologized instantly. "I wasn't trying to pry, just trying to understand the person you are now."

"I'm still trying to figure that out. And it's not your fault either, Jacen," she added, looking back at him.

"Unless you've suffered short term memory loss, you were on that ship because I kidnapped you. You were arrested because of me too." The guilt and shame Jacen felt increased with each word he spoke. "I was the one who went to the head of the _Ralroost's_ security to force him into believing you were a Yuuzhan Vong spy."

"Mind trick or not, they probably would have started questioning me at some point anyway."

As much as he wanted to take comfort in the fact that she seemed to hold no anger over him for what happened, his conscience wouldn't allow his guilt to be absolved that easily. He needed to explain everything. "Nom Anor became obsessed with you after learning about your abilities, which is why he wanted me to help you develop them. But he saw your humanity as being the one thing holding you back from becoming a weapon he could use. To achieve that he needed to make you feel like you were alone; like everyone had turned against you. It's also why he had me trick Danni into using that serum on Anakin. If it didn't kill my brother he wanted it to continue to sever the connection between the two of you."

Tahiri stared down at the ocean below. "Jacen, despite all those things you did you weren't exactly yourself. I also have to take responsibility for what I did. I knew what drawing on my abilities did to me and that's why Master Horn forbid me from using them. I knew better than to let you help me but I went along with it anyways because I was desperate to have some kind of good come from what the Yuuzhan Vong did to me. I thought if I had the power to heal people would spend less time being afraid I was a freak or some sort of spy."

"Turns out they got the spy part wrong. It was me after all," Jacen remarked in a sullen voice.

"Jacen, they used you the way they used me. It's what the Yuuzhan Vong do. There's no line they won't cross and what's why they're winning this war."

"So you think the answer is to stoop to their level?"

"If you had asked me that when we were still on the _Drifter_, I would have said _yes_ without hesitation. But I lost a part of myself there and let my hate and fear of the Yuuzhan Vong take over. I would have given up everything to make each one of them regret ever coming to this galaxy. I had no idea I had that kind of darkness inside me. After I agreed to let Riina help me, I got everything she was feeling, including all of her rage and it was overwhelming. It was too easy to let my hatred of them and what they did to me fuel my actions. I came so close to falling off a ledge there was no coming back from."

"What stopped you then?"

"Anakin," she answered without hesitation. "Master Horn, Tionne, Kam. There's people who care about me regardless of who I became after I was shaped. How could I hurt them and everything they've done for me by letting my darker desires take over? My head's still kind of a mess but it's getting better."

"I still feel responsible for everything that happened," Jacen said, his guilt not letting up.

"You shouldn't. If anything I should be thanking you," she said, seeing the shocked expression plastered onto his face. "I had been fighting Riina for so long, trying to make her go away but all it did was allow her to get stronger. The more I tried to bury her in my subconscious the harder she fought back. Now I think I'm finally ready to find a balance between Tahiri Veila and Riina Kwaad."

[*[*[*[*[*[

Tenal Ka did not sleep the night of Master Horn and Tahiri's arrival to Hapes. She was the Queen Mother and it was her duty to protect those within her realm – something she had already done a fairly poor job of up to that point. While there had been suspicions for a while of Yuuzhan Vong agents operating on Hapes, no one had any idea just how close they had actually been. She was both humiliated and furious. Last night's attack had been a result of people in her own Royal Court. It didn't matter that they were using a new type of oglith masquer that allowed them to avoid detection by Jedi because it masked their Force void.

The only bright spot was the Royal Court seemed to be singing a different tune now and welcomed the presence of the Jedi. They even went so far as to say they would be willing to offer the Jedi free reign of Fountain Palace to uncover any more Yuuzhan Vong in hiding. Their aim to foil any plots the extragalactic aliens had of taking over the Consortium from within.

Tahiri, being the only person able to sense the Yuuzhan Vong had volunteered to lead the search of Fountain Palace. Tenal Ka had asked the most trusted members of her honor guard to set up interview rooms throughout the Palace, where each person would meet with Tahiri to ensure they were not a threat. Where she was sure she would have received opposition to this less than twenty four hours before, the Royal Court were nothing but supportive of her decision – at least most of them. Tenal Ka had a feeling the ones that weren't had something to hide. She planned to have Tahiri interview those individuals first.

Discerning the severity of the Yuuzhan Vong threat facing Hapes took priority over everything else, which was why Tenal Ka had little time to reflect on the disastrous turn last night's dinner had taken. She was already dealing most severely with the individual her guards had identified as leaking her dinner plans to Ta'a Chume. If that person was an ally of her grandmother Tenal Ka had no use for such an individual.

In light of the attack, she had not had an opportunity to speak with Jacen afterward. Though he hid it well, she knew it had bothered him, which would have all been part of her grandmother's plan. As much as she had advocated keeping their relationship hidden, concealing it from Ta'a Chume would be difficult. Her grandmother knew of the history between them – best friends for years; pushing aside her Queen Mother duties to participate in a rescue of him and most recently asking just him to have dinner with her and her parents. They were going to need to be more careful – not just with Ta'a Chume but with everyone.

Tenal Ka checked the chrono on the wall of her private state office. It would not be long before her friends returned to Fountain Palace. In the meantime, she switched on the HoloNet to see what was being reported on last night's incident. She would be making a public address later to help mitigate feelings of fear, so in preparation for that it would be good to get a sense for her people's state of mind. She planned to use the broadcast as a way to publicize the invaluable aid the Jedi had provided so far. While Anakin had surely saved the Remnant from collapse with his mission to retrieve the anti-virus for Project I17A, that had been months ago. The Jedi could do with another demonstration of why they should not be handed over to the Yuuzhan Vong as the Peace Brigade kept advocating for.

The first news station she came across was just finishing a recap of the previous night's events, including how the Jedi had been a large part of stopping the disguised Yuuzhan Vong, and was now moving onto a new story that caused Tenal Ka's normally stoic demeanor to evaporate.

"_Although it is clear the Hapes Consortium is no longer immune to the Yuuzhan Vong invasion that does not mean life stops moving ahead for the Queen Mother. A reliable source close to the Royal Family has told HNN that Queen Mother Tenel Ka Chume Ta' Djo is currently reviewing a list of eligible suitors for whom she will choose to be her husband. Just which suitors made the list? We will provide an exclusive unveiling of the names on HNN Primetime tonight – "_

Furious, Tenal Ka turned off the broadcast. She knew of only one person who could be responsible for an act such as this. It was the same, conniving person who ruined her dinner last night.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"Leave us. Now!" Tenal Ka's voice boomed as she stormed her grandmother's chambers.

The pair of servants in the room exchanged slightly panicked looks as they had never before heard the Queen Mother this upset. They bowed respectfully and hurried from the room.

"Is there something you wish to discuss, granddaughter?"

"How dare you go to the media and spread lies that I am considering suitors for marriage."

Ta'a Chume appeared calm, almost reserved, while Tenal Ka was the polar opposite. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. You are the right age and a strong husband with the right ties within the Consortium would benefit everyone, especially during a time of war. What are you really upset about, Tenal Ka? Is it that I went to a news station without the Queen Mother's permission or that Jacen Solo was not on that list?"

"You have gone too far this time, grandmother," Tenal Ka seethed. "If you think for one moment I will not punish you for this, you are mistaken."

Ta'a Chume actually smiled. "I'm glad to see you finally acting like a Queen Mother. For the good of the Consortium and its people you must be strong and rule as such. Any weakness will be exploited and used against you. For weeks, I've watched you make a mockery of the Queen Mother position as you go gallivanting around with your Jedi friends, while your mother and I have stayed behind and made excuses for your absence. It is time for you to grow up and accept the responsibility _you_ asked for."

Tenal Ka's hand struck out against her grandmother's face before she even realized what she was doing. The older woman held up well against the force of her blow. She was looking at Tenal Ka then with a mixture of shock and admiration.

"In all the years I have known your mother, not once did she strike me – and I have said some dreadful, unforgivable things to her. It shows just how much stronger you are than her. You will not allow anyone to walk over you, Tenal Ka. You will make any enemy of Hapes suffer and keep the will of our people strong. You may think that I am cold but that is how I have survived all these years when assassins and well-wishers tried to destroy me and everything I had worked so hard to create."

Tenal Ka took a moment to collect herself. Her relationship with her grandmother had always been a tolerable one at best. She had wanted a life that was the polar opposite of what Ta'a Chume wanted for her. Once, during her early teen years she had almost let her grandmother manipulate her into giving up her Jedi studies after a lightsaber accident in a duel with Jacen had cost her an arm. After that incident she was determined to never let the same thing happen again, and tried to put as much distance between herself and her royal responsibilities as possible. Her birthright, however, was unavoidable, and at some point she would have had to step up and take the throne – only it had happened far sooner than anticipated.

Now, billions of lives were looking to _her_ for guidance. While it was true she had evaded much of her responsibilities to date, now that she was committed to her destiny it did not mean she had to rule with the same coldness that her grandmother once had. Her mother had proved that was unnecessary during her reign. It didn't make her weak, it made her compassionate. Tenal Ka did not want to earn loyalty out of fear. She wanted to earn it out of respect and by looking out for her people's best interests. No matter what Ta'a Chume said, Tenal Ka would never allow herself to use fear to rule. It went against everything she had been taught by both her parents, not to mention the values she had learned while a student at the Jedi Academy. In some ways she pitied Ta'a Chume, always alone and suspicious of everyone. But Tenal Ka's pity would only go so far. She would not allow the old woman to run around unchecked, plotting and scheming at every opportunity. Those days were over.

"Do not cross me again, grandmother," she said, voice as cold as ice. "Or you will wish my mother was still the one in charge."

Taking satisfaction at seeing the briefest flicker of fear flash in her grandmother's eyes, Tenal Ka marched out of the room.

If she needed to have another such conversation with her grandmother, she would be forced to carry through on that threat. Ta'a Chume was right about one other thing – she could ill afford to be weak lest others take advantage of that. If Ta'a Chume forced her hand, she would be forced to make an example of her.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"When did it start?" Corran asked the Hapan doctor.

"The first few cases were discovered a couple of days ago," the woman responded to the Jedi Master's question. "I didn't bother reporting it until I heard the same thing happening on Sargon. I contacted Hapes worried that there might be some kind of outbreak spreading among the refugee camps."

"You did the right thing," Jacen told her. "Better to err on the side of caution."

"Was there anything the infected had in common?" Anakin asked.

"You mean aside from the fact that they're all refugees? About the only thing they had in common was being treated for varying degrees of injuries - such as minor burns, sprains - nothing too serious."

"How were they being treated?"

"Bacta mostly – patches, salve, injections – whatever we have on hand. The symptoms started almost immediately after we began treating them, which is probably just a coincidence as everyone receives medical aid within twenty-four hours of arriving here. I've already seen multiple cases of heart failure in people too young and healthy to have that happen."

"Given the resources you have here I think our best course of action is to take some blood samples back to Hapes. In the meantime, continue to keep the infected isolated. Contact Sargon and tell them to do the same," Corran instructed.

The doctor nodded and retreated back into the tent that had been set up to care for the infected refugees. Corran, Jacen and Anakin, stepped outside, removing the protective clothing and breather masks they had been given. In light of the Yuuzhan Vong's access to the Imperial science division's records and the lethal viruses stored there, one of which they had already used – Project I17A – any report of a potential virus outbreak was being treated with the utmost seriousness.

It was mid day on Zadaria and with the number of refugees walking around, the Jedi walked over to a remote area to avoid being overheard. Tahiri and Alema were still on Hapes with Tenal Ka searching the Fountain Palace for anymore disguised Yuuzhan Vong.

Jacen was the first to speak. "I think it's also worth sending samples to Danni. She's been studying the Imperial databanks for months. If anyone's going to identify another Yuuzhan Vong manufactured virus it's her."

Corran nodded his head in agreement. "There's already been five deaths out of the twenty cases reported so far – and that's only within the span of several days. We could have another epidemic on our hands if we're not careful."

"They've also been unsuccessful in treating it so far," Jacen added, concerned as well.

"That's because they're treating the symptoms but don't actually know what's causing it," Anakin reasoned. He turned to Corran, saying, "what are you planning on doing about Tahiri?"

"You mean when she learns there's an ailment for which people are suffering and there is nothing currently available to help them?" Corran said, knowing exactly what the teen was referring to.

"She's going to want to help," Anakin said, frowning.

"Until we know exactly what it is we're dealing with, Tahiri's not going anywhere near here."

"And then what?"

"And then you're going to trust her, as I am, to know her limits."

That wasn't very comforting to Anakin. He trusted Corran – he was after all a very much by-the book Jedi Master – but it still surprised him that he seemed to have changed his way of thinking when it came to Tahiri's abilities. It wasn't as if there was much else Anakin could do at the moment. If their conversation last night was any indication, Tahiri wanted to keep as much distance from him as possible. They had spent much of the last few months apart so it wasn't much of a change but he had thought – or rather hoped – things between them would be different now. The problem was she was different now. Throw in his visions being linked to her and he didn't see a reunion in store for the two of them anytime soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Tighten up formation," Jaina instructed over the comm unit. "Remember, when it's time to engage the enemy, you only have a limited number of torpedoes. Don't use them unless you have a clear shot at getting passed the dovin basals." She switched over to a private channel. "I have to admit – I'm impressed. They're more battle ready then most of the pilots we have."

"_It's the Academy training_," Jag's voice came over the speaker in her fighter. "_Only the best graduate to become pilots_."

"Who'd have thought the best pilots the Galactic Alliance could find would be from the Empire?" Jaina wondered aloud. "Present company excluded, of course."

"_Of course_."

Jaina switched back to the open comm so the rest of the pilots flying in the training session could hear her. "All fighters head back to base. We'll debrief in an hour."

There was a course of comm clicks to signal confirmation of Jaina's orders before the squadron of tie fighters followed her X-wing and Jag's Claw craft back to Bastion.

Back on the Imperial capital world, Jaina quickly showered before heading to the briefing room that was also serving as a classroom to train and educate the Remnants pilots on everything from Yuuzhan Vong battle tactics to how to get the most out of the weapons they had on their fighters. Theory and training flights would only get them so far though. The real test would come when they engaged the Yuuzhan Vong for the first time.

Jaina hadn't been exaggerating earlier when she commented on the strength of the pilots she and Jag and were helping to become Yuuzhan Vong battle ready. Their discipline and skill closely matched that of Vanguard Squadron. She wondered if the Galactic Alliance had the type of skilled pilots the Remnant did if more of the battles would have gone in their favor. The Galactic Alliance was notorious for churning out pilots after only a few weeks worth of training. Sure it provided the pilots they desperately needed, but for the most part they were stuck in an endless cycle of replacing green pilots with even greener ones.

She took a seat opposite Jag without saying a word. Initially, she hadn't been sure if his invitation for her to help him was still open after their encounter a few days earlier, but she had showed up and Jag had welcomed her assistance. They had kept things professional but Jaina could tell their relationship was strained. Their conversations were strictly about Imperial training, and even at that Jag maintained a distance.

"We should do another review of dovin basals," Jag was saying to her. "It will be one of the most frequent anomalies they'll encounter. Unless you feel there's something else we should cover?" He added when Jaina said nothing.

"I wish this was less awkward."

"I don't think it's awkward at all. Despite you being a member of the Galactic Alliance, formerly the New Republic, the pilots have responded well to you. I can see they respect you."

"That's not what I was referring to."

Jag paused momentarily to allow himself time to consider how to best respond. From his facial expression he knew exactly what she was referring to. "I do not find this to be awkward at all. We're working together to strengthen the collective forces of the Empire and the Galactic Alliance."

"So you can switch off your emotions, just like that?"

"Jaina, we have a job to do. It probably never would have worked for us," he added, lowering his voice. "We live in different parts of the galaxy. While this war is what allowed us to meet, we both knew all along I was going to return to Csilla at some point. I may be back now but I will leave again. It was wrong of me to try and start something with you. In the long run you will be happier with Zekk."

And that was the end of it. Their Imperial recruits began filing into the room and both herself and Jag became military professionals once again. It was something Jaina was finding increasingly difficult to do. Unlike Jag, she couldn't shut off her emotions, which meant she couldn't help herself from thinking about what might have been.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Danni couldn't help it. She felt excited, giddy almost, at the discovery made by months of combined research between Imperial and Galactic Alliance science teams. Since it was a breakthrough capable of turning the tide of the war, everyone involved in the project wanted to be absolutely certain of the results before presenting them to Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon and Chief of State Cal Omas. She knew the best way to win them over would be with a live demonstration.

She broke out into a grin at seeing their reactions. Her Imperial counterpart, Commander Glancy, was more reserved but Danni could tell she was encouraged by their respective responses as well.

"I'll admit, this was not what I was expecting," Cal Omas was the first to speak. "When you send you had a breakthrough I thought it might be a new type of shield or something but certainly not this."

"Commander Glancy is not one to exaggerate. She would not use the word _breakthrough_ lightly," Pellaeon remarked.

Danni indicated to the midsized clear glass case that had once held a sizeable chunk of yorrik-coral. "Sirs, as you just saw by the demonstration the YC-Neutralizer changes the molecular structure of the yorrik-coral, making it crumble with the slightest contact. So even our standard laser cannons, which have been largely ineffective against Yuuzhan Vong ships, would destroy a skip, for example, on contact if it had been doused with this substance."

"Incredible," Omas remarked, sounding thoroughly impressed.

"We decided to take a page out of the Yuuzhan Vong playbook," Danni continued. "They used the Imperial science archives to recreate Project I71A, so we went back to the archives to see if there was anything we might be able to manufacture in order to counter Yuuzhan Vong biotech."

"With some trial and error, we found that the neuro toxins from certain reptilian creatures create an acidic like substance that weakens the yorrik-corral almost instantly," Glancy added.

"If you have no objections, Chief of State Omas, I want this produced on a mass scale and a dispersion mechanism figured out so it can be used in battle," said Pellaeon.

Omas nodded his agreement. "We'll determine a strategic target to test it on. In the meantime, you have whatever resources you need to continue production."

They all know this might be the lucky break they had been hoping for. The one thing that would finally put them one step ahead of the Yuuzhan Vong – and that meant believing a solid victory was possible for the very first time.

[*[*[*[*[*[

In the hallway of the Fountain Palace, Jacen ran into Prince Isolder coming from the direction he was heading toward. The Prince asked if they could talk briefly. When Jacen agreed, he pulled the young man aside in a more private area.

"I'm sure my daughter has already expressed her thanks for how the Jedi have been able to help us, but I wanted to thank you personally."

"We're glad to help. The Consortium is after all a member of the Galactic Alliance."

Isolder nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that was the first significant decision Tenal Ka made as Queen Mother."

"With the Hapes Consortium joining the Galactic Alliance it has made other worlds that were either neutral or part of the New Republic consider membership. The more united we are the better chance we have of defeating the Yuuzhan Vong."

"That is true. I have no doubt it will not be long before we find them invading our borders. As it stands, they've already began a much more subtle infiltration. I'm sure Tenal Ka will have some hard decisions to make in the coming months."

"I don't think the people of the Hapes Cluster have anything to worry about. They couldn't have asked for a more dedicated or loyal person willing to fight for them."

"It is not just the Yuuzhan Vong Tenal Ka has to worry about. There are many within the Consortium who can be just as dangerous. Both will look for any weaknesses they can exploit."

"Sir?" He wasn't able to discern the look Isolder was sending him then.

"Jedi Solo it is very clear to me that you mean a great deal to Tenal Ka – you always have – but I get the impression your friendship has changed from what it once was. I have no desire to pry into Tenal Ka's personal affairs," Isolder pressed on before Jacen could interrupt, "but while she may be the Queen Mother, she is still my daughter and I will do everything in my power to protect her. I both respect and admire you – you are very much like your mother – which is why I do not want you to take what I am about to say the wrong way. _You_ are Tenal Ka's greatest weakness. I've witnessed it happen once already when she dropped everything and disappeared to rescue you. Tenal Ka's enemies will try to exploit any relationship you have with her and she would allow that to happen in order to keep you safe."

Jacen could only stand there, silently absorbing the Prince's words. He had always known anything beyond friendship would be complicated with Tenal Ka – she was royalty after all – and he'd spent enough time around scheming Hapans to know assassination attempts and espionage were a part of Tenal Ka's everyday life now. It made no difference to him personally. He could take care of himself. The thought, however, of putting Tenal Ka in a situation where she would be forced to choose either his life or give into the demands of some radical group - or worse - bothered him greatly.

"What is it that you're asking of me, Prince Isolder?" Though Jacen had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"I am not asking anything of you, Jedi Solo. I want nothing more than to see Tenal Ka happy and you would be a fine choice for a suitor, but I just want you to consider what you will be getting yourself into. A life with my daughter will not be an easy one – for either of you."

Saying everything he had wanted to say, Isolder walked away leaving Jacen with a lot to think about.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Tenal Ka's mood – which had already been dark to begin with – worsened as she scanned through the files containing all the recent activities of the individuals Tahiri had identified as Yuuzhan Vong in disguise. They had access to just about everything – from trade routes to weapon designs for the latest Battle Dragons currently in development. All of that information was comprised now. The silver lining was after a full day of interviewing every person who had access to the Fountain Palace, Tahiri had identified only five additional Yuuzhan Vong. Between herself, Tahiri and Alema, they had dealt with the threat fairly easily.

In the privacy of her own office, Tenal Ka allowed herself a deep sigh. There was still a lot of work to be done and extra precautions to be taken so this sort of covert attack would never happen again. Tahiri was only one person and though the immediate threat had been dealt with, it was unrealistic to think they could conduct this kind of search outside the Palace walls.

Allowing herself a brief break, she switched on the HoloNet to see what was going on in the rest of the galaxy. She purposely avoided any of the local Hapan news networks.

At that same moment the door chime to her office rang, as if fate seemed to know she needed a break as well. Her mood improved instantly when Jacen walked in. She had received a notification from her head of security a few minutes earlier that he wanted to see her. Of course, she had granted him access immediately.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" He asked as the door closed behind him.

"You are a most welcomed interruption," she said, her voice sounding more relieved than she would were it anyone else but Jacen in the room.

"Your head of medical sent Danni the blood work we brought back from Zadaria. They should have an answer for us in a day or so."

That was another item on Tenal Ka's list of things to be concerned about. "It is most troubling what is happening there and on Sargon. Given all that we've seen and experienced it is difficult not to think there is something more sinister going on."

"The refugee camps set up within the Hapes Cluster are probably the best we've come across. I doubt it's something they could have picked up here. I know that doesn't make you feel better but there's nothing we can do until we know what we're up against." Moving to a new topic, he said, "I have a feeling you had an eventful day."

She nodded. "This is a fact. Though it was less eventful than last night."

"There was no way you could have prevented that."

"Being unable to sense Yuuzhan Vong is not a valid excuse for allowing what happened to transpire," she responded. There was no way to know just how long those Yuuzhan Vong had been among them as part of the inner circle who had some of the most intimate knowledge of the goings-on of the entire Consortium.

"I sense that's only part of the reason why you're so frustrated," Jacen gently probed.

When she remained silent, he came around to the side of her desk and clasped her hands in his. "You can be completely honest with me, you know that, right?" he said, his brandy brown eyes searching out her cool gray ones.

"If there is one person I can be truthful with it is you, Jacen. That is not the problem."

"Then what is?"

She broke away from his gaze. "I feel selfish just for thinking it."

"Kind of like how I felt when I asked you to reconsider becoming Queen Mother?" Once the words left his mouth, understanding dawned on him without Tenal Ka having to say a word. "You regret your decision."

"I do not regret accepting my birthright in exchange for receiving aid to help the people of Dathomir. However, I cannot help but feel that it was for nothing. There was no one left to save but I still had to fulfill my end of the deal. I knew that one day I would have to take the throne but I had never anticipated it would be so soon. This is not the life I would have chosen for myself."

"Would you feel differently if you had been able to save Dathomir?"

Tenal Ka considered his question. "Perhaps, but I know I would still rather follow the path of a Jedi than a ruler."

"So why do you have to stop being a Jedi now that you're Queen Mother?"

"It is not possible to be both."

"Says who? You're grandmother?"

"Jacen, I cannot protect the people of Hapes if I am off somewhere else in the galaxy. I believed I could for a time but I know better now."

"You don't have to leave the Consortium to be a Jedi, Tenal Ka. You have sixty-three star systems that need your protection. If you ask me, that's a lot of responsibility to shoulder alone. But if there's one person who can do it, it's you – a proven warrior and now monarch who has the best interests of her people at heart. Not many governments have that."

Tenal Ka allowed herself the barest of smiles. "Thank you, Jacen."

"For what?"

"For saying exactly what I needed to hear."

"Oh, well, that's what I'm here for," he said grinning at her.

"There is another matter we should discuss," she said suddenly. "We have not spoken about what happened the other night."

"You mean your grandmother showing up uninvited at dinner? That's old news Tenal Ka. From what I've seen on the HoloNet you're already in the courting phase with several very wealthy Hapan nobles."

His tone was light, almost joking but Tenal Ka saw through that. "I have already dealt with my grandmother. I will be dealing with the head of each of the news stations tomorrow."

"Maybe you should just leave things the way they are."

To say she was stunned by his remark would have been an understatement. "Jacen, this is another ploy of Ta'a Chume's to try and manipulate me into doing what she wants. I was very clear that I would not give in. She will not dictate when I will get married, or to whom for that matter."

"You said you wanted to keep our relationship a secret. Maybe this is the best way to do it," he said with a shrug. "Throw everyone off the scent – including your grandmother."

She watched his expression carefully, trying to discern another reason behind his motives to encourage the rumors but she detected none. His Force presence though was carefully guarded. "Jacen, are you sure?"

He nodded. "It won't be forever, but with the war and you just becoming Queen Mother I don't want our relationship to become a distraction. Besides, I won't be here most of the time, so it actually makes sense to do this."

"I still do not like it," she said, frowning.

"We'll know the truth, so that's all that really matters."

She could feel Jacen's face moving closer to hers and allowed his lips to capture hers in a kiss. Alone in the privacy of her personal office, she could just be Tenal Ka and not the Queen Mother. That meant allowing herself to relax in the arms of the man who was her best friend and much more.

For now, she would let the matter drop concerning her very public engagement. She did not wish to mislead anyone into thinking there was someone other than Jacen she would ever consider marriage to. Though if she wanted to keep Jacen from becoming a target, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to let the rumors of courting other suitors continue to circulate – at least for awhile.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Despite Danni's earlier elation with the YC-Neutralizer – they really needed a better, _non-Imperial_ like name for it – her mood was incredibly somber as she communicated via HoloNet with the six Jedi currently situated on Hapes.

"I'm sure your own doctor's have reached the same conclusion," she was saying. "The bacta's contaminated. That's what's making those people sick. It looks like venom similar to what we're used to seeing from an amphistaff has been added to the bacta process. When it makes contact with a person's body it's absorbed through the skin cells as they try to repair themselves. It's basically the equivalent of slicing open your arm and pouring poison directly into your bloodstream."

"_What about treatment?_" The Queen Mother asked her.

"It's toxic. By the time the symptoms start to show the vital organs are already shutting down. Treating it with antibiotics won't be enough. You need to flush out the venom. People who have failing kidneys use dialysis to remove toxins from their body that they can't do on their own. I think the same thing would work here. But as I said before, the amphistaff venom is almost lethal. I don't think the survival rate will be very high unless you began treatment almost immediately."

"_How do we know if all bacta has been compromised by the Vong?_" Alema asked.

"We don't. I would suspect that any deliveries of bacta supplies received in the last several months be tested before they're used. This is obviously something fairly recent or we'd have heard of more cases like this before now."

"_The refugee camps on Sargon and Zadaria were set up about three weeks ago_," Jacen commented.

"_When you say bacta supplies, you're not just talking about the stuff for bacta tanks are you?_"

Danni answered the Twi'lek's next question with a grim nod. "Injections, patches, salve – anything that has bacta in it could be contaminated. You'll probably want to get checked out," she said, looking at Anakin and seeing the large bacta patch wrapped around one of his arms. "How long have you had that on for?"

"_A couple of days_," he responded calmly.

"Like I said, that stuff is toxic. If that patch was tainted you would probably be sick by now. Better to be safe than sorry though and get looked at." Danni glanced at all the Jedi assembled. "I'm sorry. I wish I had better news."

"_At least we know what we're dealing with now_," was Master Horn's response.

"_What we need to know is if the Yuuzhan Vong are contaminating it at the source or if they just purposely sabotaged the bacta in the Hapes Cluster_," said Anakin.

"_It could very well be both_," Jacen offered. "_Two of the Yuuzhan Vong Tahiri uncovered were members of the medical staff. But those bacta tanks and any other medical supplies on the refugee worlds would have come straight from Thyferra_."

"_Whatever the case, we need to get the situation under control_," Tenal Ka spoke. "_If bacta becomes limited people will panic._"

"That in itself could be worse than anything else," Danni pointed out. "There's enough turmoil and fighting as it is without adding a bacta crisis to the list."

"_We'll do what we can to keep the situation under control here. I'll contact the Chief of State and Master Skywalker to let them know what we're dealing with_," Corran told her.

"_Maybe we'll get lucky and this is contained to the Hapes Cluster_," Alema commented.

Unfortunately no one in the room with her, nor Danni for that matter, was thinking with that level of optimism. Alema herself didn't really look like she believed that either. After all, this was the Yuuzhan Vong they were talking about. They would try and destroy as many lives as possible.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Tahiri was hunched over, grabbing her sides as she stood by one of the med center shelters set up for those suffering from the bacta poisoning. She felt nauseous and dizzy – and cold, very cold. The coldness was soon replaced with warmth as a hand was laid on her shoulder.

"You're not healing at the same rate you were before."

She could hear the heavy concern in Master Horn's voice. "No, I'm not," she admitted.

He removed his hand from her shoulder. "When we return to the fleet, I want Cighal to take a look at you."

"In the meantime you want me to stop healing, right?"

"I could forbid you from doing it, yes, but we both know how well that turned out in the past." With a sigh, Corran said, "Tahiri, you're sixteen but I also need to recognize that with everything you've been through you're more of an adult than a teenager. That means you need to make your own decisions. I can only guide you and trust that you'll make the right ones. But if you want my opinion I think you need to take care of yourself first. Whatever you're doing it's clearly putting an incredible strain on your body."

"Then I guess I don't really have a choice but to stop for now. I've probably done all I can without pushing myself beyond my limits. I don't want to reach that point ever again. I know I have this sick fascination with pain and healing others makes that difficult to suppress. It's always there but I can keep it under control if I focus on it. Last thing I need is everyone thinking I'm heading for another Tahiri-Riina meltdown. Since I stopped forcing Riina away, it's gotten a little easier to manage though."

"So then why are you keeping yourself isolated from Anakin and the others?"

She shrugged. "It's just better if I keep a distance."

"Try and explain that one to me."

She sighed. "I can't. It just is."

"Tahiri, no one has been harder on you than you've been on yourself. At some point you need to stop punishing yourself for what happened and move on."

"Well, I'm not at that point yet," she snapped. "And just going around pretending like I'm the same old Tahiri isn't going to work. They all know that I'm different."

"No one's arguing the fact that connecting with Riina did change you in some ways. But you were already different before that because of your shaping - and even with that all the parts of the old Tahiri still existed, just as it does now. You haven't changed as much as you think."

"Then why do I feel like this?"

"Only you can answer that."

She scowled. "That's not very helpful."

Corran held out his hands. "I never said I had all the answers – but I do have a couple of suggestions. First, stop trying to look for all the ways you're different from the way you were before. You've already accepted that you're different, so move on from there. Second, talk to Anakin. I know you think you're doing him a favor by staying away but all its doing is punishing him as much as much as it is you. Anakin has more than proven he's deserving of your trust. I don't know how you expect to get through any of this without a few friends by your side."

Tahiri didn't know how to respond to that, but her teacher didn't look like he was expecting one. In fact, he wasn't even paying attention to her anymore. She saw him focused on a portable HoloNet unit set up at one of the refugee stations. The speakers were turned up loud enough that she could hear the broadcast.

"_It seems that the galaxy no longer has to worry about just the Yuuzhan Vong destroying their homes. In the footage we're showing you now, you'll see the ground assault on Bimmisaari being led by a Jedi_."

Both herself and Master Horn stood there in stunned silence at the unmistakable blond hair and striking green eyes of a human woman leading a troop of Yuuzhan Vong through the planet's busy capital city.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"While she may look like Tahiri, it's clearly not her," Corran said, after watching the Holo footage in Tenal Ka's office from the newscast.

"Obviously," Alema responded with a snort. "The time stamp on the video was from just over six hours ago," said Alema. "Vong Girl was here doing her healing thing."

"What if it's some type of a clone?" Anakin addressed the group. "I know droids can be created to look identical to humans, but the Yuuzhan Vong hate technology. It's more likely they created a copy using their biotech."

"Then it's the most advanced biotech yet," commented Jacen. "We've seen them create genetic mutations and cross breed species from our galaxy before but this is entirely new. It could have happened while we were on the _Drifter_." Jacen risked a glance at his brother, knowing that was still very much a sore spot between them. Anakin, however, refused to look at him.

"Even so, that is an extremely short amount of time to not only create a copy of Tahiri but one that is fully grown," said Tenal Ka, as unnerved by what she had seen as the rest of them. "It has only been a few weeks."

"Gotta love Vong tech," Alema supplied sarcastically.

"Tahiri?"

All eyes in the room turned to the petite blond who had not said a word since seeing the Holo video of herself leading a troop of Yuuzhan Vong soldiers in an invasion attempt on Bimmisaari. Tahiri sighed inwardly, knowing they were all expecting her to say something. "If I had known the Yuuzhan Vong were going to make me into celebrity, I would have asked that they dress me up a bit better. I don't think the voondom crab armor or face markings do much for my appearance."

Alema's eyebrows practically rose off her forehead. "You're actually making a joke out of this?"

"There's no denying she's me, except for the fact that she's probably been completely brainwashed by the Yuuzhan Vong. I'll admit, it's weird watching someone who's supposed to be me but isn't."

"Is it possible there is more than one?" Tenal Ka asked, her question very much on the minds of everyone else in the group.

"I supposed anything's possible," Tahiri responded before anyone else could. "If they made one of me, why stop there?"

"I think the more important question is how do we stop them from making more of her?" Said Alema. "No offense, but one of you is more than enough, and if the Vong created this clone who's to say they didn't alter her somehow to be their perfect Jedi soldier?"

"One thing at a time," Corran interjected. He turned to his apprentice. "I think it might be a good idea for you to lie low for awhile. People are bound to jump to the wrong conclusions once they see this."

"I can deal with it," Tahiri insisted. "It's not like I'm not used to people thinking the worst of me."

"I agree with Master Horn," Tenal Ka spoke. "You have already been a tremendous help but I do not want to risk your safety because of the fear of others. Everyone is already on edge and undoubtedly this video will have been seen by many. Most will automatically jump to the wrong conclusion."

Looking around, Tahiri realized there was no way she was going to convince any of them to think any differently.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Her presence startled him and he would have turned around and left if not for the reassurance he received from Tahiri to join her. Tenal Ka had given them a sleek Hapan ship to use for the duration of their stay, so they could easily come and go as needed. Anakin had gone there to fuel up the ship before they went back to Reef Fortress. Tahiri was the last person he expected to find sitting in there alone.

He found her seated at one of the computer terminals scanning the HoloNet. She turned it off when she saw him.

"Looking for any more news on your doppelganger?" He said knowingly.

"It's hard not to. She's out there fighting alongside the Yuuzhan Vong. I kind of feel like I need to keep tabs on her."

"You seem to be handling all of this okay."

"After what I've been through, this is just the icing on the cake," she said nonchalantly.

"But there is something about all of this that bothers you," he said intuitively. He wasn't quite sure how she would react to his statement but he had known her for too long to believe for a second that she fine with any of this.

"I know everyone keeps saying she's not me – even I know that – but what if she is? If she looks like me what's to say she doesn't have the other parts that make me _me._ Like my memories, feelings, personality – you name it. How can I just sit back and let the Yuuzhan Vong use her like that? Anakin, you don't have to worry about sparing my feelings. Say what you want to say," she added, sensing he was debating whether or not to speak his mind.

"When they created her," he started slowly. "I doubt they would have kept all the things that make you who you are. It didn't work when they tried to shape you, so I think Nom Anor or whoever is behind this would have learned from that. They would keep the parts of you they needed – like you Jedi training – and remove the rest. It would be much easier to control you that way."

After several long moments of silence, Tahiri responded with, "you're probably right. But that doesn't make me feel any better about this."

He didn't think it would. In fact, he was sure he would feel the same if their roles were reversed. "You were right," he said suddenly.

Tahiri appeared confused by his statement. "About what?"

"I wanted the old Tahiri back."

"Oh."

"I know it's not going to happen but it doesn't change how I feel about you – about us," he added, his voice dropping. "At the same time I've felt our old connection flare – first when you saved my life on the _Drifter_ and then again the other night. But I don't know what it means or how you really feel because you're blocking me."

Tahiri went very quiet. Almost a minute had passed before she was ready to speak again. "I don't know for sure but I think when I saved your life it re-established our Force bond. Yes, I've been blocking you because I don't know what to do."

Anakin took a seat on the repulsor bench next to her. He didn't say anything, sensing there was more Tahiri wanted to say – and he was right.

"Connecting or whatever it was that I did with Riina brought out a darkness within me I didn't even know was there. When I think back on it, I feel like I had all the power in the galaxy to do whatever I wanted. It felt good. I've never felt that kind of power before. I was going to use it to stop the Yuuzhan Vong, justify my actions but I don't think it would have stopped there. Master Horn is helping me work through it but I can't drop this on you too. You've already dealt with enough of my baggage as it is. I can't keep relying on you to pick up the pieces and put me back together."

"You've done that on your own. I've only been there to help."

"No, you've been so much more than that. Anakin, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Tahiri, that's..." he trailed off, struggling for what to say. In the end he realized there was only one thing he could say in return to that. "I feel the same way."

Without thinking, he leaned forward, his face hovering close to hers. He wasn't sure how she would react – even after what she had just said. But she didn't push him away. This close he could see the indecision in her eyes so he made the decision for her. He brushed his lips against hers. She froze and he thought she would pull away – but instead she returned the kiss.

What started off as a tentative brushing of lips became a full blown kiss as she pulled Anakin closer to her, threading her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. The barriers she'd been keeping around her mind came crashing down. They both let out a gasp at the tidal wave of emotions that were directed toward one another. As much as Tahiri had been masking her own feelings she had been blocking out Anakin's as well. It was a little overwhelming to say the least.

"Wow," she breathed. "I'd almost forgotten what that felt like."

"I don't think you've ever used the word _wow_ before to describe me kissing you."

"I didn't realize your ego needed that," she said playfully.

"Once in awhile wouldn't hurt," he said with a Solo grin, leaning forward to kiss her again – and then pulling back suddenly.

"What is it?" His entire mood had suddenly changed.

"It's Jacen. He's just outside," he said, frowning slightly. "He's looking for us."

Anakin mentally called to his brother and a few moments later Jacen appeared in front of them. He looked apologetic, having sensed he had interrupted something.

"Master Horn wants to see all of use," he began. "He's on the comm with Uncle Luke and Chief of State Omas."

So Anakin and Tahiri dutifully followed Jacen back to the Fountain Palace. For now, figuring out things between them would have to wait. Though unlike before Anakin was fairly certain they were on the right track - as long as his visions stayed away.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"_This news is extremely disturbing_," Cal Omas spoke after listening to Corran's explanation of the bacta situation in the Hapan refugee camps. "_We've made some scientific breakthroughs recently that could finally change the course of the war in our favor. However, a bacta crisis puts all that in jeopardy_."

"_I agree_," said Master Skywalker. "_The last time there was a bacta shortage it caused significant panic. This would be on a scale much larger than that_."

"We still don't know for sure if this was just a targeted attack on the Hapes Cluster," Jacen spoke. "They've taken in tens of thousands of refugees – more than any other world."

"_I agree that may be a possibility_," said Omas. "_But we can't afford to make decisions on guesses and hunches with something like this. We need hard proof if the bacta supply has been comprised. We've already begun testing Galactic Alliance and Imperial Remnant stockpiles. So far everything's clean but we've only gone through about a quarter of it._"

"The only way to know for sure is to go straight to the source," said Alema.

Omas nodded his head. "_Investigating Thyferra is of paramount priority. The latest intel we have on the planet indicate the Yuuzhan Vong have yet to conquer the system likely because it wasn't on their path to the Core_."

"How old is that intel?" Corran asked.

"_Old. __Since we lost Coruscant and much of the Core our intelligence networks there have dried up. Right now, I have a large portion of our forces committed to an assault on Bilbringi_," Omas continued. "_Unfortunately, even if we had the resources to spare it would be at least several days before they reached Thyferra_."

"We're the closest," said Anakin. "We could check it out."

"_This would be a recon mission only_," said Luke, watching his youngest nephew carefully. "_If Thyferra is under Yuuzhan Vong control, a handful of Jedi are not going to retake the planet_."

"_I agree with Master Skywalker_," Omas said. "_Go to Thyferra and report back. If it's as we fear, once we finish with Bilbringi that will be our next target_."

"_Be safe – all of you_," Luke said to them. "_That includes you, Corran. Ylesia could be just as dangerous_."

"Ylesia?" Tahiri repeated looking at her teacher.

Corran turned away from the now darkened Holo screen to face the younger Jedi. "Before you four came in, we were discussing the Peace Brigade. They're more organized than ever now and with that grows their power. If we can weaken them, then by extension we would be weakening the Yuuzhan Vong as well."

"So what's the plan?" Anakin asked him.

"Just like you're going to check out Thyferra for Yuuzhan Vong, I'm going to see if the rumors surrounding Ylesia are true. More recent intelligence reports indicate that Hutt space has fallen and the Yuuzhan Vong have given it to the Peace Brigade as their command center."

Alema snorted. "How generous of them."

"If that's the case, it would do the Galactic Alliance good to know what kind of defenses they have set up. If the strike at Bilbringi goes as Omas and Pellaeon have planned, we're going to want to hit the Yuuzhan Vong with everything we've got as quickly as possible so not to give them a chance to regroup. Wiping out or at least greatly weakening Peace Brigade forces will also hurt them."

"Why are you going alone?" Tahiri asked, sounding slightly alarmed.

"I worked alone a lot when I was with CorSec. This won't be any different. It's simply an intel gathering mission. I'll be in and out as quickly as I can. I have a fairly good idea of what to expect at Ylesia. You four on the other hand, have no idea what you're walking into at Thyferra. Besides, in all the years I've known you and Anakin, things rarely go as planned – so safety in numbers."

Neither Tahiri nor Anakin could argue with the Jedi Master's logic then. How could they when there was plenty of evidence to indicate their tendency to be magnets for trouble? But whereas they could look out for each other the Jedi Master would have no one watching his back.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"_Rouge Three checking in._"

"_Rogue Four checking in_."

"_Rogue Five checking in._"

Jaina listened to Zekk's check in, glad they had made up prior to leaving for Bilbringi. She didn't want that kind of tension within her squadron. Tension led to distraction, which could lead to people dying. She wasn't exactly happy with him but there was no point in staying angry. He may have misled Jag at the time but considering their involvement now there was no sense holding it over his head. When it came down to it, whether Zekk had lied or not there was nothing she could do to fix the fact that Jag was keeping her at arm's length. She sighed and purged any thoughts of the two of them from her mind. Another distraction that she could not afford, especially when she had other threats in addition to the Vong to look out for.

The Bilbringi system was littered with asteroids. These asteroids were rich in metals and other natural resources utilized in starship construction. When the Yuuzhan Vong had seized the system, the then New Republic had lost one of its primary military production facilities. Kre'fey had decided Bilbringi would be the perfect place to stage their first attack against the Vong using Danni Quee's and Commander Glancy's YC-Neutralizer compound. It was close enough to the Core that it would help clear another valuable hyperspace route for the Galactic Alliance. More importantly if the YC-Neutralizer did its job it would effectively _neutralize_ one of the Vong's main ship growing facilities.

Since the YC-Neutralizer had yet to be produced on a mass scale, Danni had come up with the idea to make a small modification to the existing TIE bombers. Each bomber now carried one canister of the substance within a modified proton bomb.

"Bombers, stick close to your escort and we'll be back home before you know it," Jaina instructed over the open comm.

Due to the TIE bombers bulky structure, which made it much slower and far less maneuverable than other TIE craft, a Galactic Alliance fighter had been assigned to protect it while it dropped its payload. The protection of the bombers was needed almost immediately. The fighter squadron's, including Jaina's, engaged the coralskippers flying toward them.

The one other thing that made Bilbringi an attractive target was the Yuuzhan Vong had yet to employ a yammosk in the system. It still made engaging the skips challenging with their dovin basals eating up much of the fighters' laser fire, but their movements were not as crisp and precise without a yammosk aiding their coordination.

Jaina's bomber was one of the last to drop its payload. She watched as it turned a field of coralskippers into space dust before jetting out of there, with her still covering its backside from a barrage of skip fire.

Their mission had been clear – once their targets were destroyed they were to get clear and let the bigger ships come in and handle the clean up. For once everything went according to plan. From the comm chatter there only seemed to be a handful of casualties between Galactic Alliance and Imperial forces. They had caught the Yuuzhan Vong off guard for a change and the YC-Neutralizer had done exactly what it was supposed to.

"Good job, everyone," she congratulated over the comm. "Keep a look out for your TIE partner as we rendezvous back with the _Ralroost_."

She barely had to reach out with the Force to feel the elation coming from each of the pilots.

[*[*[*[*[*[

It had been quite some time since Jaina had witnessed a large gathering where so many people in one place were happy. The decisive victory at Bilbringi had everyone in high spirits. Admiral Kre'fey, believing it was also very much a moral win as well, had commissioned a small celebration in the _Ralroost's_ mess hall for everyone to relax and enjoy the moment he was coining as 'turning the tide of the war'. With the way the YC-Neutralizer had performed it was hard to disagree. There would still be many more battles to fight, and the cleanup on Bilbringi would be ongoing but it was a start.

While the Yuuzhan Vong had occupied Billbringi for only a short time, the initial attack had destroyed many of the shipyards, replacing them with their own shipwomb facilities. The recent assault by combined Galactic Alliance and Imperial forces – the first such joined endeavor – had taken out those facilities, leaving them as nothing more than space dust. A venture was already underway to begin cleanup of Brillbringi station so it could serve as a more permanent base of operations for the Galactic Alliance.

She joined a table occupied by Kyp and several members of his Dozen. She received a polite greeting from all of them and Kyp tipped his half full glass in her direction.

"Good work out there today, Apprentice," he said to her.

Jaina couldn't help but grin. With all the positivity surrounding the room it was hard not to get caught up in it. It was so different from the usual doom and gloom.

"It's pretty incredible how a single battle can change everyone's mindset."

Jaina agreed. "Once the news reaches the HoloNet it will give hope to a lot more people."

"So why are you sitting here with your dear old Jedi Master instead of celebrating with your squadron or maybe even those Imperials you helped train?"

Jaina suspected his comment was not as innocent as he made it appear. "I'm making my rounds."

At that moment Jag walked by. He nodded politely to her before moving on.

"Can I give you some advice?" Kyp said, having watched the exchange.

"I have a feeling even if I say _no_ you're just going to give it to me anyway."

"I've noticed you and the Colonel aren't exactly on friendly terms," he started, acting as if she hadn't spoken. "I can only assume it's because he's not thrilled by seeing you and Zekk together. And yet I get the feeling Zekk may not be the one you want to be with. Feel free to stop me at any point if I'm wrong."

Jaina sighed. "Go on," she said deciding to humor him.

"Zekk is safe, familiar, comfortable. You've known each other since you were kids. But, those things don't necessarily mean a romantic relationship is the right thing. At least not until you sort out what your feelings for Jag are. Let me put it to you another way; are you with Zekk because that's what you want or because you're afraid of the unknown with Jag?"

Jaina sat there, unwilling to answer Kyp's question. She was fairly certain she knew the answer but it was more complicated than that.

"Jaina, whatever you decide someone's going to end up getting hurt," he added, as if reading her thoughts. "That's just how these things work."

"So far I haven't heard anything that sounds like advice."

"All right, here's my advice – _life is short; don't have any regrets_."

With those words, she caught Zekk's eye from across the room. Kyp's advice, although incredibly simplistic, resonated with her. She could fly death-defying maneuvers in battle, charge at Yuuzhan Vong head on without fear and yet the thought of trying to sort out her own love life terrified her. Maybe it was finally time to face those fears.

"I'll see you later," she said to Kyp, getting up from the table.

Taking a deep breath she walked across the room.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Luke Skywalker filled the empty seat his niece had just vacated. "I can't recall the last time I witnessed a celebration like this."

"It's not as if there's been much to celebrate these last few years," Kyp remarked. "It's the first real victory in a long time. People seem to think we might actually win this war now, but the morale of the troops isn't what you came over here to talk to me about, is it Master Skywalker?"

"No, it's not," Luke admitted. "I heard you've taken on Jaina as your apprentice."

This was a conversation Kyp had been expecting for some time now. He was a bit surprised it had taken the Grand Jedi Master this long to approach him. "And you don't approve."

"My niece is free to choose whomever she wishes to be her teacher," was Luke's carefully chosen response. "Kyp, you and I may have our differences on a great many things but I've never questioned the fact that you are a strong Jedi with much to offer. What I do want to make certain of is you have Jaina's best interests at heart. I've noticed you've taken an interest in her for some time now."

"If I wasn't serious about helping Jaina further develop her talents, I wouldn't have made the offer. Master Skywalker, you've sensed it as I have – she has this dark edge to her, just below the surface that has shown glimpses of its existence over the last year. Where other Masters may scold her for it or make her meditate on it, I can actually help her deal with it."

"There is no doubt Jaina has changed," Luke acknowledged, sounding sad. "Much of it is the product of growing up in the middle of a war. Jaina has been on the front lines since she was sixteen."

"It's been the same for her brothers but I feel like it's different for her. She's military after all. While the role of the Jedi has largely been a mix of passive and defensive strategies Jaina's been flying missions where she has to be the aggressor to stay alive and keep others alive who fly with her. Death can happen in an instant and she's seen firsthand some of the worst slaughters or lopsided battles we've been involved in. But no matter how bad it gets she goes back out there to do her job."

Whether it was by reading him through the Force or the words he had spoken, Kyp had a feeling Luke was more now to accept his role as his niece's mentor. It was confirmed with the next words spoken by the Grand Jedi Master.

"I'm trusting you to look out for her, Kyp."

"I may have let you down in other areas, Master Skywalker, but this won't be one of them," Kyp assured the older man.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"I haven't decided yet whether you wanting to speak to me alone is a good or bad thing," said Zekk as Jaina led him away from the celebrations to a more secluded area. "Scratch that. It's definitely a bad thing because you haven't said a word yet."

Jaina stared into the face of the man she had known since she was nine years old and still considered to be her closest friend in the galaxy. A lot had changed over the years but with everything they had been through together the very last thing she wanted to do was to hurt him.

"Jaina?"

She heard the slight pleading in his voice as if he already knew what she wanted to say. But unlike conversations they'd had in the past she had to be very clear about her feelings so there would be no room for misunderstanding or false hope.

"You and me, we have a lot of history – and you know how much I care about you – but I can't have a relationship with you." She watched his expression falter but quickly plunged on so she could say everything she needed to without interruption. "We've gone back and forth for months, alternating between being lovers and friends partially because I didn't want to get to close to anyone and partially because I was trying to figure out what you mean to me. Zekk, I love you but I'm not _in love_ with you."

Zekk was very quiet – not at all the reaction Jaina had been expecting. When he eventually spoke there was no mistaken the hurt in his voice.

"So that's it then?"

"Zekk, this wasn't easy for me – "

"Save it, Jaina. I don't need to hear about how you agonized over choosing me or Jag."

"You're my best friend. I don't want to lose that."

"Yeah, well, I don't know if I can just put my feelings aside and be your friend. Like you said, there's a lot of history between us. Go be with Jag but don't expect things between us to be okay."

"Zekk – "

But he had obviously heard everything he was going to listen to as he started walking away. Jaina knew there was nothing she could say to get him to stay. She had hurt him deeply. All she could do was hope their friendship would be strong enough to survive that.


End file.
